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The launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft piloted by Sunita Williams was cancelled at the last minute at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. This is the third time in the last two months that the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed.
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Why was Sunita Williams’ space flight cancelled at the last moment?
According to US space agency NASA, the historic space mission was cancelled at the last minute due to a delay in the launch of the spacecraft. During the launch of the spacecraft on Saturday, there was a delay of 3 minutes and 50 seconds before liftoff was announced by the automated computer system that handles the flight sequence in the final minutes of the countdown.
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“Teams have aborted today’s launch attempt for BoeingSpace’s Starliner Crew Flight Test due to an automatic hold of the ground launch sequencer,” NASA said in its broadcast on Saturday. The ground launch sequencer is a critical part of a rocket launch as it signals the rocket to launch.
When will NASA, Boeing conduct next space launch?
After an unexpected delay in the Starliner space launch, the US space agency has scheduled a backup launch attempt for Sunday. However, the launch attempt scheduled for today can be made only if the problem with the ground launch sequencer is resolved in time.
“When Starliner was transferred from ground power to internal power, there was a slight voltage spike that caused the cabin fans, which keep the astronauts cool while they’re sitting in their spacesuits in the capsule, to shut down. They were able to turn them back on immediately,” Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, said, according to CNN.
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The Boeing official said that “tomorrow or whenever we make our next launch attempt, we’ll figure it out,” adding, “That’s the business we’re in. Everything has to work correctly.”
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Published: June 02, 2024, 08:31 AM IST
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