CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Boeing on Friday announced that it will indefinitely delay the launch of its Starliner space capsule as teams work to troubleshoot valve issues that delayed last week’s launch attempt.
In a statement, Boeing said it informed NASA that the company will de-stack its CST-100 Starliner from an Atlas V rocket and return the spacecraft to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility “for deeper-level troubleshooting of four propulsion system valves that remain closed after last Tuesday’s scrubbed launch.”
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Starliner has sat atop the Atlas V rocket in United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility since August 4, with Boeing teams unable to restore functionality to the valves.
Boeing, NASA and ULA will have to agree on a new launch date once the valve issue is resolved.
“Mission success in human spaceflight depends on thousands of factors coming together at the right time,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager, Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “We’ll continue to work the issue from the Starliner factory and have decided to stand down for this launch window to make way for other national priority missions.”
Boeing will continue to provide information and updates at www.StarlinerUpdates.com as it becomes available.
We've determined #Starliner will return to our factory for deeper-level troubleshooting of four propulsion system valves. With @NASA, we've decided to stand down for this launch window to make way for other national priority missions.
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) August 13, 2021
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