Boeing Starliner’s 1st crewed launch halted minutes before lift-off
- It is not yet clear why the test mission to the International Space Station was abruptly aborted, in yet another setback for the delay-plagued project
- Nasa is looking to certify Boeing as a second commercial operator to ferry crews to the ISS – something Musk’s SpaceX has already been doing for four years
Boeing’s second attempt at launching a crew aboard its troubled Starliner spaceship was dramatically aborted Saturday with just minutes left on the countdown clock, yet another setback for a programme that has faced years of delays.
With the astronauts strapped in and ready for lift-off, the test mission to the International Space Station was unexpectedly halted due to reasons that are not yet clear.
United Launch Alliance, responsible for the Atlas V rocket that Starliner sits atop, is now investigating why an “automatic hold” was triggered by its computer with three minutes and 50 seconds to go.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters that engineers were currently de-fuelling the rocket to enable physical access to the ground computer, allowing them to pinpoint the source of the fault, such as a malfunctioning circuit board or power supply unit.
More information should be forthcoming by Saturday night. A backup date is available for Sunday at 12.03pm,, then on June 5 and June 6 if longer is needed.
Earlier, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams had smiled and looked upbeat after they were helped out of the capsule and driven back to crew quarters.
