Boeing Starliner's maiden crewed launch pushed back to no earlier than Friday

By James Rogers

The first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was scrubbed two hours before its scheduled liftoff late Monday

The first crewed flight of Boeing Co.'s Starliner spacecraft will launch no earlier than Friday after Monday's attempt was scrubbed two hours before the scheduled liftoff.

The launch was scrubbed over concerns about an oxygen-release valve on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

"Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the flight and pad crew, we scrubbed the Crew Flight Test (CFT) launch attempt today due to an observation on a liquid oxygen self-regulating solenoid relief valve on the Centaur upper stage," ULA wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, early Tuesday. "The team needs additional time to complete a full assessment, so we are targeting the next launch attempt no earlier than Friday, May 10."

Related: First crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner scrubbed 2 hours before takeoff

The first crewed Starliner mission has faced a number of delays in recent years. The launch will mark an important milestone for NASA, Boeing (BA) and their partners.

"I really commend the team for making that tough call," said Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, during a conference call to discuss the scrubbed launch late Monday.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program partners with the private space industry in the U.S. to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Related: Boeing's Starliner set for historic launch that will take two NASA astronauts into space

"Our flight rules called for us to scrub and to take the crew off before we cycled that valve," said ULA CEO Tory Bruno during the press conference.

"This was a rare condition that can be present on a valve," he said. "We have operated this valve many times before on the vehicle and not had this."

Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station. During the Starliner test flight, mission commander Wilmore and pilot Williams will work with Boeing to test the "end-to-end capabilities" of Starliner, from prelaunch to docking at the ISS and from undocking to landing and recovery, according to Boeing. "Following a successful test, NASA will work to complete certification of the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew rotation missions to the space station," Boeing said on its website.

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In 2019, an uncrewed Starliner made its first test flight to the ISS, but docking with the space station was canceled because of an incorrectly set clock on the capsule. The second uncrewed flight test, Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2, successfully reached the orbiting space lab and returned to Earth in 2022.

The Starliner capsule has been designed to accommodate seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, for missions to low-Earth orbit, according to Boeing. In NASA's missions to the ISS, the spacecraft will carry up to four NASA-sponsored crew members and scientific research, the company says on its website. The capsule has a weldless structure and is reusable up to 10 times with a six-month turnaround, Boeing added.

ULA was set up as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) in 2006. Since then, the company's Delta and Atlas rockets have been used to send more than 150 missions into orbit.

Related: Boeing gets hit with fresh FAA investigation - this time over 787 Dreamliner

Boeing shares were down 0.6% Tuesday. Lockheed Martin shares were up 0.5%.

-James Rogers

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05-07-24 0948ET

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