Launch of first manned flight of Starliner spacecraft canceled for second time

The launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was scrubbed Saturday, less than four minutes before liftoff, because of a technical problem that was not immediately clear, according to commentators on NASA's live broadcast.

This is the second time in a month that the launch of the mission, which would allow the Starliner to carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time, has been delayed.

The vehicle was scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 12:25 p.m. Saturday (16:25 GMT)

The Starliner crew members, veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams, took their positions inside the Starliner capsule Saturday morning.

Ten years ago, NASA requested two new vehicles from the American companies "Boeing" and "SpaceX" to transport its astronauts to the International Space Station, in order to stop relying on Russian vehicles.

While SpaceX has been playing the role of carrier into space for four years, Boeing has faced a series of setbacks that have led to years of delays.

Having recently suffered safety problems with its commercial aircraft, the American company has staked its reputation on this test mission to prove that its vehicle is safe before it begins its regular missions to the International Space Station.

This mission is also important for NASA, as the availability of a second vehicle would have allowed it to better manage any emergency situations that might arise.

Earlier last month, the Starliner's launch was scrubbed at the last minute while the two astronauts were in their launch position inside the vehicle due to a rocket valve problem that was later repaired.

A limited leak of helium into the vehicle was then detected. However, Boeing and NASA decided not to fix the malfunction because it would require separating the Starliner from the launch pad

"We believe we can manage this leak by monitoring it before launch and even if it increases during flight," Steve Stich, head of NASA's commercial human spaceflight program, said Friday.

This setback is the latest in a series of unpleasant surprises for Boeing.

In 2019, during the first unmanned test, the capsule did not take the correct course and returned to Earth without reaching the International Space Station.

In 2021, when the rocket was on the launch pad, malfunctions occurred that prevented the capsule's valves from working, causing another postponement of the mission.

The vehicle was finally able to arrive at the International Space Station empty in May 2022.

Other problems were discovered later, most notably with the parachutes that slowed the capsule's return to the atmosphere, causing another postponement of the first manned flight.

Butch Wilmore, 61, and Sonny Williams, 58, have visited the space station twice before, first by space shuttle and then by Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Only a few American vehicles have carried astronauts before.

After the space shuttle program was retired in 2011, NASA astronauts relied on Russian Soyuz vehicles.

In 2014, NASA signed fixed-price contracts with SpaceX ($2.6 billion) and Boeing ($4.2 billion) to develop the two spacecraft.

SpaceX surpassed Boeing by delivering astronauts to the space station for the first time on one of its vehicles in 2020.

Once the Starliner is operational, NASA plans to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing vehicles to transport astronauts to the station.

As the International Space Station nears retirement in 2030, SpaceX and Boeing vehicles will be used to transport humans to future private space stations that many companies have begun planning to build.