(CTN News) – Just a few minutes prior to its scheduled departure, Boeing canceled the launch of its Starliner space capsule on Saturday.
The rocket’s computer commenced the process of retaining the rocket with 3:50 remaining in the countdown. The spacecraft must be launched with precision in order to synchronize with the station, necessitating an additional day for the mission to proceed.
The automated pause was the result of an anomaly with one of the three redundant computer systems at the base of the launch pad that are responsible for initiating the launch sequence, according to Tory Bruno, the leader of United Launch Alliance, the government contractor that was attempting to launch the Starliner.
Bruno, the President and CEO of ULA, acknowledged at a press conference on Saturday afternoon that “we do require all three systems to be running—triple redundancy.” “Those three massive PCs perform a health check.” Two of the three were observed as is customary. As the third one emerged gradually, a red line was tripped, resulting in a brief pause. Engineers are still uncertain as to why the computer terminated the countdown during the troubleshooting process.
Bruno declared, “We will discover the answer much later this evening.”
NASA intends to attempt the launch once more on Sunday at 12:03 PM ET; however, the launch may need to be rescheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, contingent upon the severity of the issue.
Two NASA astronauts were scheduled to travel to the International Space Station in a space capsule that would require 25 hours to travel from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This was to be the inaugural expedition in which humans were to be conveyed in a commercially manufactured capsule.
However, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore scheduled the initial flight of Starliner with the intention of testing the vehicle prior to its deployment on NASA missions. Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA joined forces with Boeing and SpaceX, two private enterprises, to facilitate the transportation of humans to and from the space station.
The Starliner’s initial launch date was approximately one month ago, and it was already several years behind schedule.
NASA previously disclosed that the astronauts’ luggage was being abandoned, a scenario that would be familiar to those of us who frequently travel on Earth. The misplaced cargo is not the responsibility of Boeing. The pee recycling system on the space station malfunctioned earlier this week, necessitating NASA to free space for the launch of a replacement pump.
During a news conference on Friday, Dana Weigel, the manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program, disclosed, “We ultimately removed two crew suitcases that contained clothing.” Weigel asserted that the personnel could benefit from additional personal hygiene products and clothing while aboard the space station.
The following are additional details concerning the launch that has been subsequently discontinued.
This was intended to be the Starliner’s inaugural voyage with passengers.
In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a $4.2-billion contract to construct Starliner, a spacecraft that is designed to convey humans on regular trips to the International Space Station.
The Starliner program has been significantly behind schedule and has exceeded its budget since that time. Boeing has determined that the program has resulted in a loss of over $1 billion in commerce.
At the same time that NASA awarded Boeing the contract, SpaceX was awarded a $2.6 billion contract to develop the Dragon capsule. In 2020, the spacecraft successfully completed a crewed test mission and is currently being utilized frequently to transport astronauts to the space station.
Starliner has encountered a multitude of technological complications.
The Starliner program has encountered numerous delays, with the most recent one occurring on Saturday.
The inaugural flight of the Starliner to the International Space Station in 2019 was abortive. The capsule’s engines were prematurely misfired by a computer due to an inadequately configured onboard clock. The spacecraft successfully reached the International Space Station during its second test flight in 2022, despite the fact that some of its engines were not functioning as intended.
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