Starliner delays continue. Crewed launch now set for no earlier than May 25
Those who made plans to watch Starliner lift off on Tuesday will need to adjust. Starliner is again facing a delay.
After the maiden crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner was scrubbed May 6, the rocket was rolled back off the launch pad for United Launch Alliance crews to replace a faulty oxygen valve on the second stage of the rocket. The new launch date of no earlier than May 17 was given, yet Boeing crews discovered an issue on the spacecraft. Launch was changed for no earlier than Tuesday, May 21.
But Friday NASA officials stated that Starliner will now target a launch of no sooner than 3:09 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 25.
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An oxygen valve caused the Starliner's first launch scrub
Starliner, which will ferry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station alongside SpaceX after certification, has faced multiple delays over the past two years as it headed for the launch pad. Finally mounted atop the Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41, those delays continue.
On May 6, as NASA astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams boarded the spacecraft for the first crewed test flight, a "flutter" was seen with an oxygen valve on the ULA Atlas V rocket's upper stage. With crew onboard, protocol called for a scrub to ensure crew safety.
"We've seen that before," said ULA's Tory Bruno during a post scrub press conference. "What you would typically do is activate the solenoid that forces the valve closed − cycling the valve, if you will − then you turn that on and let it return.”
ULA crews inspected the issue through the next day before announcing they would roll the Atlas V rocket back to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) and replace the troublesome oxygen valve.
What has caused the latest delay to launch Starliner?
On May 11, while crews were working on the rocket's upper stage, a helium leak was detected coming from the Starliner service module, which is the disposable lower part of the spacecraft containing engines and thrusters. The Boeing team narrowed down the cause of the leak to a single reaction control system thruster in the service module, and called for a launch attempt no sooner than Tuesday, May 21.
Boeing stated that no other issues were found with the spacecraft after an analysis of the May 6th data.
On Friday, NASA said Boeing was going to take more time before launch, thus the new target of May 25.
"The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module. Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight," NASA said.
For now, the astronauts will remain in quarantine at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The astronauts, Williams and Wilmore, will fly back to Cape Canaveral when the new launch date approaches.
Be sure to follow the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team at floridatoday.com/space for all the latest space news from Cape Canaveral.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Boeing's Starliner will now launch no sooner than May 25
