Boeing has decided to postpone the first manned test flight of the Starliner spacecraft just two hours before the scheduled launch. This decision was made due to a recently discovered security problem, as reported by the AFP news agency. NASA, the US space administration, emphasized that safety is their top priority and they will only launch when they are fully prepared.
NASA is hoping for a successful Starliner test flight in order to have another spacecraft available to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced that the new launch date will be organized at the earliest on Friday due to the time needed for overall evaluation.
Boeing’s Starliner has faced delays in production, with the first unmanned test flight experiencing software errors that prevented it from reaching the ISS in 2019. In 2021, blocked valves led to the postponement of a launch. The craft finally reached the ISS in May 2022 with an unmanned launch, but additional problems arose that caused delays to the test flight.
When the Starliner is fully operational, NASA hopes to use it to transport astronauts to the ISS in conjunction with SpaceX’s Dragon ship. This will provide more options for manned flights to the ISS, reducing the reliance on Russian rockets that NASA has had for almost a decade.