The first astronauts to fly in Boeing’s Starliner space capsule will have to wait until at least Wednesday to launch to the International Space Station. An attempt launch the mission Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was called off.
With 3 minutes and 50 seconds left in the count, the rocket’s computer initiated a hold of the countdown. The spacecraft needs to launch at a precise moment to catch up with the station meaning Saturday’s attempt was scrubbed.
An issue with the rocket's three flight computers is to blame for the launch. When the countdown entered the final minutes before liftoff, one of the three computers booted up slower than the others. Rocket company United Launch Alliance said the three computers are for redundancy, and all must be working for the count to continue.
On Sunday, teams identified a faulty power supply. It has been replaced, and tests are ongoing ahead of the next launch attempt Wednesday June 5 at 10:29 a.m.
The U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 90% chance of favorable weather for Wednesday's launch attempt.
On board are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The mission is a critical test flight of Boeing’s Starliner space capsule designed to ferry astronauts to and from the space station.
An attempt to launch the vehicle last month was called off with hours left in the countdown due to an issue with a valve on Starliner’s rocket.
Once launched, Wilmore and Williams will test critical systems of the vehicle, including manual maneuverability as it approaches the International Space Station. The crew and capsule will spend about a week docked to the space station before returning home. The capsule lands in the U.S. southwest under a canopy of parachutes and airbags.
