Boeing and NASA cancel the launch of the Starliner crew just minutes before liftoff

BoeingThe first Starliner flight with astronauts on board was canceled in the closing minutes on Saturday.

The company was targeting a June 1 launch at 12:25 a.m. ET of its capsule, which will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time in a final major test of the system.

The launch postponement was automatically issued for an unspecified reason, NASA said during the broadcast, with less than four minutes remaining. Missing rocket launch countdowns – as well as “scrubs,” which indicate a launch delay – are a common occurrence in the industry. The crew on board is safe and will disembark.

Two NASA astronauts are aboard the Starliner capsule, which would be carried to the International Space Station by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.

Boeing has already scheduled backup launch dates, including Sunday at 12:03 a.m. EDT. Depending on the cause of the launch operation, Boeing and NASA may reschedule the launch 24 hours later for another attempt, or target alternate launch dates of June 5 or 6.

NASA and Boeing canceled a launch attempt in early May due to a problem with the rocket. ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martinreplaced the rocket’s problematic valve.

After calling off the May attempt, NASA and Boeing discovered a “minor” helium leak in Starliner, forcing the agency and company to conduct another series of assessments. After analysis, NASA and Boeing believe the source of the leak is in the spacecraft’s helium propulsion system. But officials said last week that the leak is “stable” and “not a flight safety concern.”

Starliner’s crew debut has been delayed by years, with SpaceX’s competing Dragon capsule regularly flying astronauts for NASA since 2020 under the agency’s Commercial Crew program. So far, Boeing has absorbed $1.5 billion in costs due to Starliner’s setbacks and nearly $5 billion in NASA development funds.

The spacecraft was once seen as a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon. However, several setbacks and delays have steadily put Starliner in a backup position for NASA, with the agency taking the rare step of reassigning astronauts from the first Boeing crew flights in 2021. Boeing is under contract to fly six operational Starliner missions to the ISS. Saturday’s crew flight test is the last major step before receiving NASA certification to begin regular missions.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams fly Starliner, with the former serving as the spacecraft’s commander and the latter as its pilot.

Wilmore joined NASA in 2000 and previously flew to space on the Space Shuttle and the Russian Soyuz. Before NASA, Wilmore was a pilot in the U.S. Navy.

Williams was selected by NASA in 1998 and has also flown to space twice before, on the Space Shuttle and then on the Soyuz. Williams, like Wilmore, was also a Navy pilot before joining the space agency.

Starliner will launch on ULA’s Atlas V. The rocket debuted in 2002 and the crewed Starliner flight test represents the 100th launch.

The capsule itself is built to carry as many as four NASA astronauts per flight and more than 200 pounds of research and cargo. The spacecraft lands using a parachute and airbag system. Starliner is reusable, with each capsule designed to fly as many as 10 missions.

Boeing’s crew flight test aims to certify that the Starliner system can transport NASA astronauts to and from the ISS.

When Starliner launches Saturday, it will fly in space for about 25 hours before docking with the International Space Station on Sunday at 1:50 p.m. The astronauts will then spend about a week on the ISS, focusing on Starliner testing, before returning to Earth.