The Starliner launch attempt was canceled on the night of May 6-7. A next attempt is planned for the 10th. In the meantime, Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, took the opportunity to tackle Boeing, which is designing the Starliner.
In an alternate reality, the Atlas V rocket launched on the night of May 6 to 7. Capped with the Starliner capsule, the launcher sent a crew of two astronauts to validate Boeing's ability to carry out manned flights. In doing so, the company will be able to provide a space transportation solution to the United States, in addition to SpaceX.
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Unfortunately for Boeing, this is not the scenario that played out in this reality. Last night's flight has been cancelleddue ” from a faulty observation » at the Centaur, the name given to the second stage of the Atlas V rocket. This interruption had no harmful consequences on the rocket or the crew, who has since left the machine.
Next attempt on May 10 for the Starliner
For the moment, the flight has been postponed until May 10. Until then, a “ complete assessment » will be carried out, made it known the United Launch Alliance (ULA), the company supplying the rocket. ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. She said the problem involves a self-regulating solenoid relief valve for liquid oxygen.
In its communication, Boeing acknowledges demonstrating “ caution for the safety of the crew and the launch area. » The company is playing big: the mission must allow it to qualify the Starliner for manned flight. For this, Boeing must provide proof with two astronauts on board – in this case, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams.
In principle, the two astronauts — who have respectively spent 178 and 321 days in space — must remain on board the International Space Station for a period of one week. Their return was planned for mid-May. This schedule will now have to be updated due to this postponement.
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Boeing has been working for several years to complete the Starliner program. In December 2019, a first connection with an uninhabited capsule failed to reach the ISS. Massive corrections followed, finally giving Boeing a reason for satisfaction: in May 2022, the second attempt to reach the ISS worked, still without anyone on board.
Perhaps May 10 will be the opportunity for Boeing to finally take this final step which prevents it from being at the same level as SpaceX. Until then, the company will have to accept the criticism without flinching – at a time when the group is going through a broader crisis of confidence with some of its planes. And, moreover, the tackles of Elon Musk.
The founder of SpaceX was indeed invited in the conversation with a harsh tweet against Boeing: “ Although Boeing received $4.2 billion to develop an astronaut capsule and SpaceX only received $2.6 billion, SpaceX finished 4 years early. (…) Too many non-technical managers at Boeing. »