From countdown to letdown: Sunita Williams' third trip to space delayed as Starliner launch is scrubbed

Just two hours before blast off, the long-awaited test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was called off over a technical glitch with the Atlas V rocket.

The launch has been postponed for at least 24 hours because of an issue with the Atlas V rocket that was being readied to launch the new astronaut capsule to orbit on Monday(May 6)night.

The glitch

As per Reuters, the two-member crew, consisting of NASA astronauts 61-year-old Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 61, and 58-year-old Sunita "Suni" Williams, had been strapped into their seats aboard the spacecraft for about an hour before launch activities were suspended.

The issue arose with the Atlas rocket's second-stage activities.

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While it is not clear how long fixing the glitch would take, the next available launch windows for the mission are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights.

The flight would mark the first crewed voyage to space using an Atlas rocket since the launch vehicles first sent astronauts on orbital flights for NASA's Mercury programme in the 1960s.

Is the delay a sign that the mission is in danger?

Not necessarily, it is not uncommon for countdowns to be halted at the 11th hour and for launches to be delayed for days, and at times weeks over minor glitches. This is especially true for a new spacecraft flying humans for the first time.

Furthermore, this mission is of utmost importance, as its success would pave the way for Starliner's six further planned missions for NASA.

The ambitious Boeing-Starlinermission

Previously, after a failed mission in 2019, the gumdrop-shaped capsule completed an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This is the first time it would be transporting humans to the orbital laboratory.

Once launched, following a flight of about 26 hours, the capsule will arrive at the space station and dock with the orbiting research outpost some 250 miles (402.34 kilometres) above Earth. There, the resident ISS crew, currently comprising four US astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts, will greet Wilmore, the designated commander of the flight, and Williams, the pilot.

The two astronauts are expected to remain at the space station for about a week. After that, they are to ride the Starliner back to Earth for a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the US Desert Southwest — another first.

(With inputs from agencies)