A technical difficulty has compelled NASA engineers to name off Monday’s launch of the Starliner spacecraft.
The choice to clean the launch from the Kennedy Area Middle in Florida got here simply two hours earlier than the ULA’s Atlas V rocket was as a consequence of elevate off at 10:34 p.m. ET, and simply minutes after NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams had been strapped into their seats contained in the Starliner spacecraft.
Particulars are nonetheless coming via concerning the determination to cease the countdown clock, however commentators on NASA’s official stay stream mentioned it was as a consequence of a problem with an oxygen aid valve on Centaur, the second stage of the Atlas V rocket.
“This determination was not made calmly and was performed out of an abundance of warning,” a NASA official mentioned shortly after the choice was introduced.
NASA chief Invoice Nelson reiterated the remarks, saying in a put up on social media that the “first precedence is security.”
Standing down on tonight’s try and launch #Starliner. As I’ve mentioned earlier than, @NASA’s first precedence is security. We go after we’re prepared. https://t.co/KIasomZG66
— Invoice Nelson (@SenBillNelson) Could 7, 2024
The scrub is an enormous disappointment for the crew and launch staff, although as soon as the difficulty has been resolved, a brand new date for liftoff ought to be capable of be organized with out an excessive amount of delay. Commentators on the stay stream recommended that one other launch try may very well be made whilst early as tomorrow.
Contemplating the big variety of points with the Starliner throughout its multi-year growth, it can come as a aid for Boeing that Monday evening’s downside has nothing to do with its spacecraft. Now its all the way down to ULA engineers to analyze the difficulty with the Centaur stage of the Atlas V rocket and to repair it in order that the launch staff can go once more.
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