[ad_1]
The grounding of Boeing’s Starliner yesterday has now been postponed for a week. Boeing prepared for the first astronaut launch that was scheduled to carry Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams on a week-long trip to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission has been moved up to launch on May 17 after engineers said a faulty rocket valve needed to be replaced for the high-risk mission, NASA said.
The testing has already been delayed by several years and comes at a challenging time for Boeing, as a safety crisis looms at the commercial aviation arm of the century-old aerospace titan.
Also read: NASA: Sunita Williams’ new space mission halted; Boeing cancels astronaut launch. Here’s why
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were seated and ready to take off Monday night when the decision was made to abort the launch. Earlier, United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin responsible for the rocket, had announced that the launch would be postponed until at least May 10. However, upon further analysis, it was discovered that one valve was excessively worn and needed to be replaced. As a result, the rocket will be taken back to its hangar for necessary repairs.
“NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is now on target to launch no later than 6:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 17,” the U.S. space agency said in a blog post.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams were to board Boeing’s Starliner crew and fly off, where they were to stay for about a week. NASA is confident in the success of Starliner as it hopes for a second commercial vehicle to carry crews to the orbital outpost. In 2020, Elon Musk’s SpaceX achieved this milestone using its Dragon capsule, ending nearly a decade of dependence on Russian rockets after the Space Shuttle program was shut down.
Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!
Watch all business news, market news, breaking news events and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download Mint News app to get daily market updates.
more less
Published: 08 May 2024, 09:10 am IST
[ad_2]
