An issue with the relief valve on the upper stage of the Atlas rocket prompted the decision about two hours before the scheduled launch from Cape Canaveral.
NASA, Boeing and ULA are targeting another launch attempt no earlier than May 10 pending resolution of the technical issue that prevented Monday's launch of the Crew Flight Test. [Courtesy: NASA]
Key Takeaways:
NASA scrubbed the first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner capsule due to a relief valve problem on the Atlas rocket's upper stage.
The issue was discovered about two hours before the scheduled launch, with astronauts already strapped in.
The timeline for fixing the valve and rescheduling the launch is currently unknown.
This scrub marks the latest in a series of technical challenges for the Starliner program, though it's the first involving the launch vehicle itself.
Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
