Boeing’s first crewed Starliner launch has been delayed once again due to a valve issue. The Starliner spacecraft was scheduled to launch on Monday, but a faulty valve discovered just hours before liftoff forced NASA and Boeing to stand down from the launch attempt. The issue was with the Centaur rocket, not the Starliner capsule itself.
The faulty valve is a liquid oxygen self-regulating solenoid relief valve on the Centaur upper stage. This valve regulates the flow and pressure of liquid oxygen in the rocket’s upper stage. It employs a solenoid, a kind of electromagnet, to open and close as necessary, ensuring the safe release of excess pressure.
The Starliner’s Crew Flight Test is now scheduled for launch on Friday, May 10, pending the resolution of the recently discovered anomaly. For its test flight, the crew capsule was fitted atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) and back.
This is the latest in a series of delays that have marred the maiden test flight of a crewed Starliner spacecraft. The Crewed Flight Test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is meant to transport crew and cargo to and from the ISS under a $4.3 billion contract with the space agency. The program has suffered from a slew of problems and delays, including a botched uncrewed test flight in 2019.
Read more: gizmodo.com