Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launch has been rescheduled for June 5 by NASA and Boeing, following the resolution of a computer issue by United Launch Alliance that led to the postponement of the previous attempt.
Late on June 2, NASA confirmed that mission managers had greenlit the launch of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission on June 5 at 10:52 a.m. Eastern Time, with a backup opportunity on June 6 at 10:29 a.m. Eastern Time.
The initial CFT launch try on June 1 was halted just 3 minutes and 50 seconds before liftoff due to a discrepancy in the launch sequencer, a component of the ground control computers. This issue prompted speculation from Tory Bruno, ULA’s CEO, who suggested a potential hardware or networking problem.
According to NASA, ULA identified a power supply unit problem affecting certain cards within one of the ground control computers. This included the card responsible for controlling valves for propellant replenishment on the Centaur upper stage, which had also experienced issues earlier in the countdown. ULA decided to replace the problematic computer rack with a spare and conducted functional tests, confirming normal performance.
Favorable weather conditions, with a 90% chance of acceptable launch conditions on June 5, are anticipated. No additional issues with either the Atlas 5 rocket, its ground support equipment, or the Starliner spacecraft itself have been reported by NASA.
For the CFT mission, Starliner, crewed by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will journey to the International Space Station for approximately a week before returning to land in the southwestern United States. This mission serves as the final test flight before NASA can certify the vehicle for operational ISS missions as early as early 2025.
Should the launch not occur by June 6, NASA and ULA will pause operations to conduct maintenance on the rocket, specifically replacing expiring batteries, which is expected to take around 10 days to complete.
