Boeing’s first astronaut flight Starliner called off at last minute – National | 24CA News
Last-minute laptop bother nixed Saturday’s launch try for Boeing’s first astronaut flight, the most recent in a string of delays over time.
Two NASA astronauts have been strapped within the firm’s Starliner capsule when the countdown robotically was halted at 3 minutes and 50 seconds by the pc system that controls the ultimate minutes earlier than liftoff.
With solely a break up second to take off, there was no time to work the most recent downside and the launch was known as off.
Technicians raced to the pad to assist astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams out of the capsule atop the absolutely fueled Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Within an hour of the launch abort, the hatch was reopened.
The staff can’t get to the computer systems to troubleshoot the issue till the rocket is drained of all its gasoline, mentioned Tory Bruno, CEO for the rocket maker, United Launch Alliance.
Bruno mentioned one of many three redundant computer systems positioned close to the rocket on the pad was sluggish. All three should work correctly to proceed with a launch, he mentioned.
Depending on what must be fastened, the following launch try could possibly be as early as Wednesday. If it doesn’t blast off this coming week, then that may be it till mid-June in an effort to transfer the rocket off the pad and exchange batteries.
“This is the business that we’re in,” Boeing’s Mark Nappi mentioned. “Everything’s got to work perfectly.”
It was the second launch try. The first strive on May 6 was delayed for leak checks and rocket repairs.
NASA desires a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts since 2020.
Boeing ought to have launched its first crew across the identical time as SpaceX, however its first take a look at flight with nobody on board in 2019 was affected by extreme software program points and by no means made it to the house station.
A redo in 2022 fared higher, however parachute issues and flammable later brought about extra delays. A small helium leak within the capsule’s propulsion system final month got here on high of a rocket valve subject.
More valve bother cropped up two hours earlier than Saturday’s deliberate liftoff, however the staff used a backup circuit to get the ground-equipment valves working to high off the gasoline for the rocket’s higher stage. Launch controllers have been relieved to maintain pushing forward, however the laptop system often called the bottom launch sequencer ended the trouble.
“Of course, this is emotionally disappointing,” NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the backup pilot, mentioned from neighboring Kennedy Space Center shortly after the countdown was halted.
But he mentioned delays are a part of spaceflight. “We’re going to have a great launch in our future.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
