NASA and Boeing have postponed the launch of the Starliner spacecraft’s first crewed mission, which was scheduled for Monday, due to technical issues.
The spacecraft was set to lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:34 p.m. Eastern Time from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The corresponding GMT time for the launch was 2:34 a.m. Tuesday.
The mission was intended to transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.
The launch was called off while teams investigated an issue with an oxygen relief valve on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket, NASA stated. Following the scrubbed launch, the astronauts disembarked from Starliner and returned to their crew quarters.
This test flight, known as the Crew Flight Test, is considered potentially the final major milestone before NASA can certify Boeing’s spacecraft for regular operational missions under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
