Boeing's Starliner capsule is set for its next launch attempt to the International Space Station on June 5, according to NASA. This follows six postponements due to various technical issues.
The capsule, featuring the first manned launch of an Indian-origin piloted capsule, is scheduled to take off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Starliner mission will carry NASA astronauts Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore on a week-long mission to the orbiting space station. The launch was initially planned for June 2 but was scrubbed just minutes before liftoff.
This marked the sixth time the mission has been delayed due to technical issues. NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) decided to forgo the June 2 launch to allow more time for assessing a ground support equipment issue. The next available launch opportunities are June 5 and June 6.
Williams and Wilmore, who will be the first to launch aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, are currently in quarantine at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. They will participate in pilot proficiency and other training activities leading up to the launch.
The June 2 launch was aborted when a ground system computer triggered an automatic abort command, shutting down the launch sequence. Technicians and engineers with ULA worked overnight to assess the ground support equipment at the launch pad and identified an issue with a single ground power supply within one of the three redundant chassis providing power to a subset of computer cards controlling various system functions.
The faulty ground power unit chassis was removed, visually inspected, and replaced with a spare chassis. No signs of physical damage were observed. Once launched, the Starliner is expected to arrive at the space station after a flight of about 24 hours, docking with the orbiting research outpost approximately 402 km above Earth.
The mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, is a significant step towards obtaining NASA clearance for Boeing's spacecraft to be deemed ready for regular operations.
This launch is part of NASA's commercial crew program, which selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station after NASA retired its Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Boeing received over USD 4 billion in US federal funds to develop the Starliner, while SpaceX received about USD 2.6 billion.
While SpaceX's Crew Dragon has successfully performed 12 crewed missions to the ISS since its first launch on May 30, 2020, Boeing's Starliner has faced multiple setbacks.
The mission managers of the Starliner's debut human flight called off the mission on May 7, just two hours before the scheduled launch due to a valve glitch in the Atlas 5 rocket's upper stage. Boeing announced that the valve was successfully replaced on May 11 and tested to confirm it was working properly.
Later, on May 14, NASA announced that the Crew Flight Test mission scheduled for May 17 had been pushed to no later than May 21 due to a small helium leak in the spacecraft's service module. On May 17, the space agency further postponed the launch to May 25.
For NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, this Starliner mission will mark her third mission in space. Notably, Williams was the one who named the Starliner capsule 'Calypso'. This upcoming launch marks a crucial milestone for Boeing as it aims to join SpaceX in providing reliable crew transportation to the ISS.
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