Also, later today, Boeing’s Starliner is being launched to the space station. It’s the new system’s final flight test and first crewed flight.
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I knew the starliner launch today was manned, didn’t know it was going to the space station.
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I hope they didn’t crap up their space program the way they crapped up their planes 
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I’m thinking the astronauts going up failed the psych test.
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The good news is that Starliner hasn’t lost any crew. :: knock on wood :: eat the lucky peanuts :: etc. ::
The bad news is just about everything else. It’s years behind SpaceX’s crewed Dragon despite Boeing starting at the same time and with more money. Software problems kept the first unmanned flight from reaching the space station, necessitating a second unmanned test flight on Boeing’s dime — which in turned was delayed by corroded thruster valves. Today’s flight was delayed months by discovering problems with the parachute linkage to the capsule and the accidental use of a flammable [1] cable wrap in the electrical system.
If Starliner flies more than the six operational crew rotation flights NASA has contracted for after this test flight, I’ll be somewhat surprised, because Boeing will then have to spend even more money and time human-rating the Vulcan rocket.
under certain conditions ↩︎
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I didn’t see it in the attached article, but launch is scheduled for 2235 Eastern.
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NASA’s stream of the launch begins at 6:30pm EDT, over four hours before the actual launch.
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And par for the course, tonight’s launch of the Starliner has been scrubbed. Oxygen valve anomaly on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V.
Edit #1: the scrub was called just as the pad crew had finished strapping the astronauts in and were preparing to close the hatch, about two hours before scheduled liftoff. There are backup launch opportunities for the mission currently scheduled for May 7, 10 and 11, so stay tuned. After that, scheduling gets dicey because the pad’s needed for the first launches of Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband Internet satellite constellation. And at some point the second international docking port on the ISS will be needed for either another Dragon cargo capsule or Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser. Though word is that the latter won’t be ready to launch aboard a Vulcan on its test flight until later in the year.
Edit #2: During the post launch attempt press conference, Boeing stated that the oxygen valve was “buzzing,” i.e., rapidly closing and opening due to not seating properly. It’s something they’ve seen before, and if it were just a satellite launch they’d have forced the valve closed to reseat it and continued. But that’s considered a change in the state of the vehicle, something that’s prohibited under Boeing’s flight rules until the astronauts are sealed in with the pad crew safely out of harms way and the abort system armed (SpaceX has somewhat different flight rules because of the way the Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed to operate). So — scrub. They’ll check to see if the valve has exceeded the number of open/close cycles Boeing’s rated it for, and then either proceed with another attempt if there’s sufficient margin remaining or swap the valve out for a new one.
Edit #3: Launch now scheduled for Friday, May 10 at 8:55pm EDT.
Edit #4: Launch has now been pushed back to no earlier than 6:16pm EDT on Friday, May 17. Looks like Boeing’s decided to replace the valve, which requires rolling the vehicle back to the Vertical Integration Facility. It can’t be done on the pad because the Centaur upper stage uses ”balloon tanks“ that must be externally supported when they’re depressurized, such as during a valve replacement. The second stage literally can’t support itself — much less anything mounted on top of it — without pressure to stiffen the tank walls, but is much lighter as a consequence.
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NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Eyes Next Launch Opportunity
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams continue working remaining open tasks in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams now are targeting a launch date of no earlier than 4:43 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21, to complete additional testing.
<sigh> Now there’s a minute helium leak. Not serious, apparently, but the engineers need some time to properly characterize it.
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NASA, Boeing Now Working Toward May 25 Launch of Crew Flight Test
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad illuminated by spotlights at Space Launch Complex 41 on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams will take additional time to work through spacecraft closeout processes and flight rationale before proceeding with the launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The teams now are targeting a launch no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 25, for the flight test carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.
Boeing is still dealing with the small helium leak on one of the thrusters of the service module. If I were superstitious, I’d say the Starliner program is cursed.
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I have more Starliner news. I’ll give you one guess what it is.
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Man at this point you gotta wonder what the crew is thinking.
“Confidence in the ship” has got to be sinking by the day.
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Between reassignments and one withdrawal for personal reasons, I think they’re on the second full crew set (including backup) at this point.
(To “Dancing Queen”)
You are the Hanger Queen
Dear and late, and of Dragon green
Hanger Queen
Feel the heat from the hydrazine,
oh yeah
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NASA, Mission Partners Assessing Launch Opportunities for Crew Flight Test
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) continue to evaluate a path forward toward launching the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams are now working toward a launch opportunity at 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, with additional opportunities on Sunday, June 2, Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.
I’ll believe it when I see it. The worst part is that the astronauts will have to continue to stay in quarantine over Memorial Day weekend (two weeks before flight, remember). They’ve been in quarantine since April 22, already a full month now.
I wonder if pre-launch quarantining counts as government work hours, and if they get overtime for being in it over weekends and holidays?
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They’re probably on Salary.
Whelp, automatic launch hold called at T-3:50 — Starliner is not going to space today. Again. Reason why TBD, minimum 24 hour (or so) delay.
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It was that odd rah-rah USA speech from the capsule around T-6 minutes that did it, right? I was like, “No… It’s days too early for that sort of thing.”
I do hope they can get this thing right, ready and safe to fly. Multiple US options for such crewed space flight would be a good thing.
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As do I, but as I’ve said before I have serious doubts if it will ever fly a tenth time (OFT-1 + OFT-2 + CFT-1 + six crew rotation flights = 9). Chances are that the sixth Starliner crew rotation flight will be the last Atlas V to fly, and that will be it. The only reason Dragon may stop flying is because SpaceX succeeds in human rating Starship, rendering the former obsolete.
NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test Launch Scrubs Saturday
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo caption: NASA Television
NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) scrubbed today’s launch opportunity due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count. The ULA team is working to understand the cause. The next launch opportunity is Sunday, June 2, at 12:03 p.m. EDT for launch of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.
Unclear if it’s yet another software bug, this time on the ground side, or if the ground launch sequencer actually saw something it didn’t like. Stay tuned.
Edit: What apparently happened was that one of the three redundant ground launch sequencer computers was slow to start. All three are required to be running and synchronized as they control certain critical things on the ground at launch, like simulaneously detonating the explosive bolts that otherwise keep the rocket attached firmly to the launch pad. If the fix is as simple as swapping out a circuit board, they’ll be able to try again tomorrow.
I gotta buy me some Boeing stock