Florida: In another setback for Boeing, its first crewed test flight aboard its new Starliner space capsule with Indian-origin astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams was called off at the last minute following due to a computer problem. Two NASA astronauts were strapped in the Starliner capsule when the countdown automatically halted at 3 minutes and 50 seconds, adding to a string of delays in the highly anticipated mission.
With only a split second for take-off, technical teams had no time to resolve the problem and the launch had to be postponed. Technicians rushed to astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore out of the capsule atop the fully fuelled Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Tony Bruno, the CEO of the rocket maker UNited Launch Alliance, said all three computers must work properly for the launch to commence.
"We got really close today," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's commercial crew programme. The next available launch window for the mission is Sunday at about noon local time, but NASA said in a statement on Saturday that mission officials would forgo that opportunity, without setting a new date. The next available chances to launch are Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.
String of delays for the planned space mission
This was the second launch attempt of the Starliner crewed test flight. The first try on May 6 was delayed for leak checks and rocket repairs. With two astronauts aboard, the CST-200 Starliner's first crewed voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) remains a key milestone for Boeing as it scrambles to gain a greater share of the lucrative NASA business now dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
With less than two hours remaining in the countdown, the Starliner's launch was abruptly called off due to an unresolved technical issue related to a valve in the rocket's second stage, disappointing the viewers. The mission has significant weight in the race for space exploration dominance amid a domestic space race.
Severe software issues plagued Boeing's first test flight with no one on board in 2019 and never made it to the space station. Another attempt in 2022 fared better but parachute problems and flammable later caused more delays. Last month, a small helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system came on top of a rocket valve issue.
The technical team used a backup circuit to get the ground equipment valves working to top off the fuel for the rocket's upper stage after initial hiccups ahead of Saturday's launch. Launch controllers were relieved to keep pushing ahead but the computer system known as the ground launch sequencer ended the effort.
What comes next?
Bruno said the leading causes would be "either a hardware problem or a network communication" issue between three computers that control automated launch systems. It is important to mention here that these last-minute cancellations and technical issues are not uncommon, especially in new spacecraft flying humans for the first time.
Boeing badly needs success in space for its Starliner venture, a program several years behind schedule, as the company's commercial airplane manufacturing operations are in disarray after several crises. NASA has backed the Starliner mission and sees it as an important second vehicle capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the space station.
(with inputs from agencies)
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