NASA will try and ship a pair of astronauts into area aboard the Boeing Starliner for the primary time quickly, however not at the moment. Because the astronauts settled into their seats, officers SCRUB Monday night time's deliberate launch try round eight:30 p.m. ET because of “commentary of a defective oxygen exhaust valve” on the second stage of the ULA Atlas V Centaur rocket. One other launch window is on the market Tuesday night time, but it surely's unclear in the event that they'll be capable to reset that shortly.
The launch was scheduled to happen at 10:34 PM ET from the Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida, with a stay stream accessible on NASA's YouTube channel.
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket will propel the Starliner into area, the place it can stay on the ISS for every week. Whereas aboard, Flight Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams will check the Starliner's capabilities, together with launch, docking and eventual return to Earth.
Boeing constructed the Starliner as a part of its $four.2 billion contract with NASA, which inspires the event of latest spacecraft by personal firms by the company's Industrial Crew Program.
If all goes nicely throughout this flight, NASA will certify the Starliner, permitting it to move NASA astronauts between Earth and the ISS. That would make the Starliner a brand new rival for SpaceX, which has been carrying NASA astronauts into area since 2020.
Replace Could 6: Added particulars on the eliminated Monday night time launch try.