The agency aims to launch its capsule, which will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time in the system’s final major test, on June 1 at 12:25 p.m. ET.
The launch was aborted for an unspecified reason, NASA said in its broadcast, with less than four minutes remaining in the countdown. A more common event is having a rocket launch countdown. The crew on board is safe and will disembark soon.
Two NASA astronauts are aboard the Starliner capsule, which will be transported to the International Space Station by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
Boeing already has backup launch dates scheduled, including Sunday at 12:03 p.m. EDT. Depending on the cause of the launch scrub, Boeing and NASA could reschedule the launch for another attempt 24 hours later or target alternate launch dates of June 5 or June 6.
NASA and Boeing halted the launch attempt in early May after a problem was detected with the rocket. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, replaced the rocket’s complicated valve.
After May halted the effort, NASA and Boeing discovered a “small” helium leak in the Starliner, prompting the agency and company to perform 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 last week said the leak was “permanent” and “not a security issue for the aircraft”.
Boeing’s Starliner space shuttle lifts off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Thursday, May 30, 2024, in Florida.
Isaac Watson | NASA
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams.
Credit: Kim Shifflett | NASA
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams fly the Starliner, the former serving as the shuttle’s commander and the latter as its pilot.
Wilmore joined NASA in 2000 and has flown into space twice before, aboard the Space Shuttle and Russia’s Soyuz. Prior to NASA, Wilmore was a U.S. Navy pilot.
Williams was selected by NASA in 1998 and has flown into space twice before, on the Space Shuttle and later on Soyuz. Like Wilmore, Williams was a Navy pilot before joining the space agency.
Boeing’s Starliner space shuttle atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Thursday, May 30, 2024.
Isaac Watson | NASA
Starliner launches on ULA’s Atlas V. The rocket debuted in 2002, and the Starliner crew flight test marked its 100th launch.
The capsule is built to carry four NASA astronauts and more than 200 pounds of research and cargo per flight. The spacecraft lands using a parachute and airbag system. Starliner is reusable, with each capsule designed to fly up to 10 missions.
Boeing’s crewed flight test aims to certify the Starliner system as capable of carrying NASA astronauts to the ISS.
If Starliner launches on Saturday, it will spend about 25 hours in space before docking with the International Space Station on Sunday at 1:50 p.m. The astronauts will spend about a week on the ISS, focusing on testing the Starliner, before returning to Earth.
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