Time lost in space: Boeing’s interplanetary jet faces another delay | Space News

The American aerospace company faced multiple delays in starting and operating the Starliner capsule.

Boeing said that after canceling the planned launch last week, it will unload its Starliner spacecraft from the rocket in order to conduct a more in-depth inspection of the spacecraft’s propulsion system valves.

The company said in a statement on Friday that four of the 13 valves in the Starliner propulsion system are still closed and that it will conduct “deeper troubleshooting” at Boeing’s commercial crew and cargo handling facilities. Boeing, NASA, and the United Launch Alliance plan to fix a new launch date after the problem is resolved.

On August 2nd, a rocket carrying the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft was transported to the launch pad of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA. Afterwards, problems with the propulsion system forced Boeing to postpone its original schedule for August. 3rd launch plan [File: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via Getty Images]

This setback is another blow to Boeing’s efforts to convince NASA that its spacecraft can safely and reliably transport the crew to the International Space Station. Considering the busy schedule of the Joint Launch Alliance (Joint Launch Alliance) and the shortage of available docking ports for the space station, this move may cause delays in Starliner’s next test flight.

Starliner Vice President and Project Manager John Vollmer said: “The success of a manned space mission depends on thousands of factors brought together at the right time. “We will continue to solve this problem at the Starliner factory and decide to stop this launch. Window to make way for the priority tasks of other countries. “