Boeing's Starliner launch pushed back to May 17 for first crewed mission

By James Rogers

Monday's maiden crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft was scrubbed two hours before liftoff

The historic first crewed launch of Boeing Co.'s Starliner spacecraft will take place no earlier than May 17, after Monday's launch attempt was scrubbed two hours before takeoff.

The launch was postponed over concerns about an oxygen-release valve on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will take Starliner into low-Earth orbit. The test flight will transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.

"Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeted to launch no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT Friday, May 17," wrote NASA Space Operations on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Tuesday. "Following a thorough data review completed on Tuesday, ULA (United Launch Alliance) decided to replace a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V rocket's Centaur upper stage."

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

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

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 test flight, Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2, successfully reached the orbiting space lab and returned to Earth in 2022.

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.

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

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 noted.

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.

Boeing shares were up 0.8% Wednesday. Lockheed Martin shares were down 0.2%. The S&P 500 index SPX was down less than 0.1%.

-James Rogers

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05-08-24 1252ET

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