After yesterday’s launch of the primary crewed Starliner mission was scrubbed, NASA, Boeing and ULA made the choice to attend a number of days earlier than making one other try. Starliner was scheduled to lastly raise off on Saturday afternoon after a collection of delays, however this try was aborted on account of a last-minute concern with a floor laptop system that performs a key position in launching the rocket. Whereas NASA and companions mentioned presumably flying at the moment following their evaluation of the difficulty, they’ve determined to carry off till the subsequent alternatives, both on June 5 or 6.
Saturday’s launch wasn’t scrubbed on account of an issue with the Starliner craft itself, however as a result of an automated maintain was issued by the bottom launch sequencer for a then-unknown motive. In a press convention afterward Saturday, Tory Bruno, president and CEO of ULA defined that it got here right down to an issue in verifying the launch sequencer’s redundancy. There are three massive computer systems on this system, all of that are the identical so it’s “triple redundant,” Bruno stated. Through the system well being test within the minutes earlier than launch, one of many computer systems got here up sluggish, triggering an automated maintain.
NASA stated the choice to forgo at the moment’s launch try was made in an effort to “give the workforce extra time to evaluate a floor help gear concern.” The launch window opens once more on June 5, however no goal liftoff time has been introduced simply but. If Starliner doesn’t fly by June 6, it’ll be set again by no less than one other 10 days, ArsTechnica stories, because the ULA workforce might want to swap out the Atlas V rocket’s batteries.
