Photo: Boeing via Twitter
It looks like Boeing's Starliner Orbital Test Flight 2 (OFT-2), a crucial uncrewed demonstration mission to the space station was delayed, again. The news comes after the ISS had a tug of war with a Russian module on Friday, causing the Starliner mission to be postponed.
The reusable capsule, which was designed to take astronauts and cargo to the ISS, was supposed to perform its second uncrewed test flight on Friday, July 30th. However, some unfortunate events put the launch on hold for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. On the same day, the Russian Nauka module, after a week-long bumpy ride, was supposed to dock to the space station.
Shortly after the module's arrival, it suddenly fired its thrusters, causing the ISS to briefly lose attitude control. The crew aboard the space station have fired another module's thrusters to counter Nauka's force, successfully stabilizing the space lab.
And as if this situation alone wasn't enough to push back Starliner's launch date, thunderstorms have been wreaking havoc since last week on the launch site in Florida. It turns out that the series of unfortunate events didn't stop there.
The launch was scheduled for 1:20 p.m. ET today, August 3rd. But during pre-launch preparations for the uncrewed test flight, Boeing engineers detected an issue with the propulsion system. The problem was initially discovered during routine check-ups after yesterday's electrical storms in the Kennedy Space Center area.
As a result, the Starliner spacecraft's launch to the ISS atop of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 4th.
"We're disappointed with today's outcome and the need to reschedule our Starliner launch," said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager, Boeing's Commercial Crew Program.
"Human spaceflight is a complex, precise, and unforgiving endeavor, and Boeing and NASA teams will take the time they need to ensure the safety and integrity of the spacecraft and the achievement of our mission objectives," he explained.
Shortly after the module's arrival, it suddenly fired its thrusters, causing the ISS to briefly lose attitude control. The crew aboard the space station have fired another module's thrusters to counter Nauka's force, successfully stabilizing the space lab.
And as if this situation alone wasn't enough to push back Starliner's launch date, thunderstorms have been wreaking havoc since last week on the launch site in Florida. It turns out that the series of unfortunate events didn't stop there.
The launch was scheduled for 1:20 p.m. ET today, August 3rd. But during pre-launch preparations for the uncrewed test flight, Boeing engineers detected an issue with the propulsion system. The problem was initially discovered during routine check-ups after yesterday's electrical storms in the Kennedy Space Center area.
As a result, the Starliner spacecraft's launch to the ISS atop of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 4th.
"We're disappointed with today's outcome and the need to reschedule our Starliner launch," said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager, Boeing's Commercial Crew Program.
"Human spaceflight is a complex, precise, and unforgiving endeavor, and Boeing and NASA teams will take the time they need to ensure the safety and integrity of the spacecraft and the achievement of our mission objectives," he explained.
We're standing down from today's #Starliner Orbital Flight Test-2 launch.
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) August 3, 2021
During pre-launch preparations, our engineers detected unexpected valve position indications in the propulsion system.
Read the full statement: https://t.co/uQBjvq8ObU pic.twitter.com/4X2INbZj7Q
Google News