Boeing’s Starliner Schedules New Launch This Week After Last Minute Cancellation—How To Watch And Why It Matters
Topline
Boeing’s Starliner is set to launch a pair of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station this week after the rocket’s maiden crewed voyage was scrubbed minutes before takeoff Saturday, a hotly anticipated milestone for the aeronautics giant producing a dependable space taxi and competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Key Facts
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 10:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 5, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Boeing and NASA said in a statement.
Starliner had been slated to launch atop one of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rockets on Saturday but the mission was aborted with less than four minutes to go until takeoff after a ground launch sequencer—a computer controlling the launch countdown—triggered an automatic command to halt.
While there was another opportunity to launch on Sunday, Boeing delayed to give engineers more time to solve the problem as it was still unclear as to why the computer scrubbed the launch.
Boeing said the ULA team has since identified and replaced a faulty ground power unit believed to be the cause of Saturday’s problem and NASA said ULA confirmed “all hardware is performing normally.”
Boeing will live stream the launch on its website and NASA will also show the launch live on its website, NASA TV and social media channels, though it’s not clear yet when coverage of the mission will begin.
For those in, or wishing to travel to, Florida, it’s possible to watch the launch in person and Boeing has published a map of areas where spectators should be able to get a good view, including Cocoa Beach Pier, Kings Park, Kelly Park, Port Canaveral and parks near the Max Brewer Bridge.
What To Watch For
NASA says the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron forecast there is a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch on Wednesday. Cumulus clouds, which NASA advises rockets not to launch through or near, are the primary weather concern, the agency said. Should Wednesday’s launch fail, NASA said there is another opportunity at 10:29 a.m. EDT the day after, Thursday, June 6.
Key Background
Boeing has a lot riding on Starliner. The aeronautics giant received a contract from NASA to develop the means of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station in 2014, around the same time as Musk’s SpaceX, as part of the agency’s plan to boost private sector capacity in space. While Musk’s firm has launched nearly a dozen crews to the orbital lab since its first mission in 2020 (not all of these have been for NASA), Boeing has yet to fly a crewed mission and has suffered years of setbacks, including failed test flights, technical issues, and endured more than $1 billion in cost overruns. As NASA expects to retire the ISS in 2030, Bloomberg says Boeing will fly at most six more missions to the station for the space agency. Its first launch is set to carry two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will spend roughly a week at the space station to test Boeing’s craft and certify it for regular mission rotations.
Tangent
A launch on Wednesday, June 5, throws Boeing’s competition with Musk’s SpaceX into sharper focus. Musk’s company is expected to launch its massive Starship rocket for its fourth test flight on Wednesday. If it goes ahead, the launch will take place at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas and could happen as early as 7 a.m. Central Time. SpaceX will live stream the launch on its social media channels and website. Despite ending in crashes and flames, the three Starship missions have been hailed successes and SpaceX is hoping to demonstrate the rocket’s reusability on its fourth outing.