Boeing Starliner's 1st crewed mission will now launch no sooner than THIS date

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will be delayed a bit for its inaugural crewed mission after a decision was taken to postpone the Crew Flight Test mission just two hours before liftoff on May 6.The delay comes as teams from United Launch Alliance (ULA), Boeing, and NASA determined that additional preparations were necessary for the Atlas 5 rocket launch.

The rocket will be rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex 41 for necessary repairs. This will lead to setting a new launch target of no earlier than May 17, according to NASA. The revised liftoff time is scheduled for 6:16 pm EDT (2016 UTC).

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During a briefing, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno stated that there was an issue with a liquid oxygen self-regulating solenoid relief valve on the Centaur upper stage of the rocket. This caused an audible buzzing noise at the launch pad. Bruno likened the valve to those found in homes, stating it vents pressure from the liquid oxygen tank.

Bruno outlined the repair process and indicated that if the valve required replacement, the Atlas 5 rocket would return to the VIF. However, he assured that the procedure wouldn't necessitate unstacking the Starliner spacecraft from the rocket.

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He further explained the use of tooling to support the Centaur and Starliner. “We’d apply that tooling to support the Centaur and the Starliner on top and then we take off all the pressure and simply remove and replace the valve, re-pressurise it, remove the tooling and then we’d be ready to roll back,” Bruno said and added, “That procedure takes several days, so it’s unlikely we would be prepared to make another attempt before Sunday.”

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Despite the setback, Boeing's CCP programme manager Mark Nappi affirmed Starliner's readiness for flight when the rocket is prepared.

“As Suni has told us a couple of times, there was nothing magical about a certain date to go launch on, so we’re taking it one step at a time,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s CCP program manager and added, “We’re going to launch when we’re ready and fly when it’s safe to do so.”

(With inputs from agencies)