Starliner: First manned flight of the Boeing spacecraft canceled
NASA and Boeing are once again postponing the first manned flight of the Starliner space capsule. A new date has not yet been set.
Starliner space capsule
(Image: Mark Evans, NSF)
The first manned flight of a Starliner spacecraft scheduled for next Saturday will not take place. Following discussions, experts from the US space agency NASA, the Starliner manufacturer Boeing and the rocket manufacturer United Launch Alliance (ULA) have agreed to postpone the launch date. They still want to find a new date, writes Chris Begin from NASA on X, formerly Twitter.
The Starliner is intended as an alternative to SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The spacecraft lifted off unmanned for the first time in December 2019, but did not reach the International Space Station (ISS) as planned. A repeat flight was therefore scheduled, which was delayed further and further. The second launch did not take place until May 2022, when the unmanned spacecraft also reached the ISS.
Helium leak
July 21, 2023, was considered as a date for a manned Starliner capsule, with NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams standing by. A few weeks before this date, Boeing postponed the launch of the spacecraft because problems had been discovered. In August 2023, NASA and Boeing then dated the first manned flight of Boeing's spacecraft to April 2024 at the earliest; in March of this year, they were aiming for early May.
One problem that led to the abortion of a launch attempt on May 6 this year was resolved, but another occurred, namely a helium leak on the Starliner. This problem has apparently still not been resolved, according to reports. First, the launch planned for May 21 was canceled, and there will be no launch on the next date either.
(anw)
