Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed Twice Due to Safety Concerns: NASA CEO Bill Nelson

CNN Indonesia

Tuesday, 07 May 2024 15:32 IWST

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

The first manned flight of a spacecraft Boeing Starliner canceled twice before launch. This plane was supposed to take off on Monday (6/5) US time, but it was canceled due to security concerns.

The decision to postpone the launch of the Boeing Starliner was also expressed by Bill Nelson, the CEO of the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter).

“Tonight’s launch attempt has been canceled As I’ve said before, safety is @NASA’s first priority. We will leave when we are ready“, wrote Bill.

Authorities said the team discovered a newly identified safety issue shortly before the launch. They then decided to cancel the test mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Referring to AFP, engineers heard a hum coming from the liquid oxygen release valve on the Atlas V rocket that works to push the capsule into orbit.

In a press conference, Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), which made the rocket, said that the unusual vibration was a sign that the valve part could be starting to fail. . However, he insisted that “the team was not in any danger.”

Engineers will now determine the extent of the damage and decide whether to assemble the same parts on the launch pad, or return the rocket to the assembly building to repair valves put in new ones, he said.

ULA, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, later said the next launch attempt would be as early as Friday (10/5).

“The team needs more time to fully evaluate, so we are targeting our next launch attempt no earlier than Friday, May 10,” ULA said on the X social media platform.

The mission has been delayed for years and comes at a challenging time for Boeing, as a safety crisis hits the 100-year-old manufacturer’s commercial aircraft division.

NASA is counting on a successful Starliner test to be able to allow a second commercial vehicle to carry a crew to the ISS.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX achieved the feat with a Dragon capsule in 2020, ending nearly a decade of reliance on Russian rockets following the end of the Space Shuttle program.

(tim/dmi)