First manned Boeing Starliner flight postponed due to technical problems – IT Pro – News

The first manned flight with Boeing’s Starliner capsule has been postponed at the last minute due to technical problems. The next attempt will take place on May 10 at the earliest. Starliner must then take two astronauts to the ISS.

The launch was canceled due to a problem with an oxygen valve on the Atlas V rocket that was supposed to launch the capsule. The problem was observed two hours before launch. United Launch Alliance, the rocket’s builder, said after the cancellation that at least 24 hours are needed to determine what the problem is. Later ULA indicated that the next attempt https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1787708909618155832 would take place.

However, there appear to be no problems with the space capsule itself. The Starliner program, which was started in 2014 to bring astronauts to the ISS, has been experiencing problems for years. Boeing has conducted only two unmanned test flights in ten years, with quite a few things going wrong. The first manned flight was postponed several times. Competitor SpaceX, which received less money from NASA to design a capsule, already regularly sends manned Dragon capsules to the ISS.