2024-05-15 06:59:59
(Keystone-ATS) The primary manned house flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been postponed once more. Departure is now deliberate for Might 21 on the earliest, the corporate introduced on Tuesday.
The launch of this mission to the Worldwide Area Station (ISS), essential for Boeing, has been anticipated for years. It was canceled on the final minute final week, when the 2 astronauts who make up the crew had already taken their seats on board.
An anomaly had been recognized on a valve of the Atlas V rocket, which finally needed to be returned to the hangar at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was then introduced that takeoff could possibly be tried once more on Friday 17. Might.
A brand new drawback
The defective valve “has been efficiently changed,” Boeing stated in an announcement Tuesday. However a brand new drawback emerged: “a small helium leak on the ship’s service module,” wrote the corporate, which stated it wished to conduct “additional assessments.”
Helium is used within the spacecraft’s propulsion system, stated Boeing, which stated it was working to resolve the problem with NASA.
The goal begin date is now 21 Might at 16:43 in Florida (22:43 in Switzerland). The 2 astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have since returned to Houston, Texas, however will return to Florida “within the coming days,” in line with Boeing.
This new postponement comes because the ship’s improvement program has been marred by a sequence of disagreeable surprises, which have brought on a number of years of delays.
Boeing is betting massive on this check mission, which can permit it to display that the ship is secure earlier than beginning common missions to the ISS – 4 years after SpaceX, which already serves as NASA’s house taxi.
For the US house company, which ordered a ship from Boeing ten years in the past, the stakes are additionally excessive: Having one other car along with that of SpaceX to move American astronauts ought to make it higher ready in case of an issue with one of many capsules .
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