NASA has announced that the first manned test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been postponed, just two hours before the scheduled launch. The reason for this delay is due to a recently discovered security issue, as reported by AFP news agency.
NASA is hopeful that the successful test flight of the Starliner will provide them with another spacecraft to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The United Launch Alliance (ULA) has announced that the new launch date will be organized at the earliest on Friday due to the time needed for overall evaluation.
Boeing’s Starliner has faced several delays in production, with the first unmanned test flight experiencing software errors in 2019 that prevented it from reaching the ISS. In 2021, blocked valves led to a postponement of a launch. Despite these setbacks, the craft finally reached the ISS in May 2022 with an unmanned launch. However, additional problems arose that caused delays to the test flight.
NASA emphasizes safety as their top priority and they will only launch when they are fully prepared. When fully operational, NASA hopes to use the Starliner in conjunction with SpaceX’s Dragon ship to transport astronauts to the ISS, providing more options for manned flights and reducing reliance on Russian rockets that NASA has had for almost a decade.