Boeing's Historic First Crewed Starliner Launch Delayed: Malfunctioning Valve in Atlas V Rockets Upper Stage

Cape Canaveral, Fla., Florida United States of America
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain at Cape Canaveral while engineers work to resolve issue.
Boeing's historic first crewed launch of Starliner spacecraft delayed due to malfunctioning valve in Atlas V rocket's upper stage.
Delay marks another setback for Boeing's Starliner program which has already faced numerous challenges in its development. First uncrewed test flight of the spacecraft experienced several issues and did not reach the ISS as planned.
Issue identified during routine pre-launch checks on May 5, discovered a pressure-relief valve in the upper stage had opened and closed rapidly multiple times.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have spent a combined total of 1027 days in space.
New launch date is expected to be no earlier than May 17.
Starliner spacecraft scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 6, now postponed.
Boeing's Historic First Crewed Starliner Launch Delayed: Malfunctioning Valve in Atlas V Rockets Upper Stage

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Boeing's historic first crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft, set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), has been delayed due to a malfunctioning valve in the Atlas V rocket's upper stage. The new launch date is expected to be no earlier than May 17.

The issue was identified during routine pre-launch checks on Monday, May 5, when engineers noticed an unusual buzz coming from the rocket. Upon further investigation, they discovered that a pressure-relief valve in the upper stage had opened and closed rapidly multiple times. This behavior exceeded the valve's design limit and necessitated its replacement.

The Starliner spacecraft, which will be Boeing's first crewed launch since the company joined NASA's Commercial Crew Program, was scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 6. However, with the new valve issue and subsequent replacement required, the launch has been postponed.

The astronauts were already seated aboard the Starliner capsule when the scrub occurred. They will remain at Cape Canaveral while engineers work to resolve this issue and prepare for a new launch date.

This delay marks another setback for Boeing's Starliner program, which has already faced numerous challenges in its development. The first uncrewed test flight of the spacecraft, known as Orbital Flight Test 1 (OFT-1), experienced several issues and did not reach the ISS as planned.

The NASA astronauts assigned to this mission are no strangers to space travel. Suni Williams has previously spent over 322 days in space across two missions, while Butch Wilmore has logged a total of 665 days in orbit. They will be eager to embark on their third journey into space aboard the Starliner.

The delay also affects SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which was scheduled to launch with astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur on May 17. NASA has not yet announced any changes to this mission.

Sources:

  • AP News: Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week to replace a bad rocket valve
  • CNN: Boeing's historic Starliner mission now expected to launch no sooner than May 17 after valve issue

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Confidence

95%

Doubts
  • Could this delay impact future Starliner missions or NASA's Commercial Crew Program goals?
  • Is the malfunctioning valve a common issue with Atlas V rockets?

Sources

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Boeing’s historic Starliner mission now expected to launch no sooner than May 17 after valve issue

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Ashley Strickland, Wednesday, 08 May 2024 16:39
  • Unique Points
    • The issue involves a valve on the second stage or upper portion of the Atlas V rocket that Starliner will ride to space.
    • ,
  • Accuracy
    • The first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been delayed until at least May 17 after a valve issue was identified during launch preparations.
    • After removing astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the Starliner capsule, the United Launch Alliance team experimented with opening and closing the source of the buzz, but observed more oscillations during fuel removal.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, states 'Some buzzing is OK, but too much could cause the valve to fail.' This statement implies that there is a definitive threshold for acceptable buzzing and that exceeding it will definitely result in valve failure. However, this assumption may not be true and more information or evidence is needed to support this claim.
    • 'Some buzzing is OK, but too much could cause the valve to fail.'
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

90%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Astronaut Suni Williams Prepares for Crew Flight Test

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Thursday, 09 May 2024 08:19
  • Unique Points
    • Astronaut Suni Williams is preparing for a third space flight, this time aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft as pilot.
    • NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore will also be aboard as commander.
  • Accuracy
    • Starliner is scheduled to liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at 10:34 p.m. ET on May 6, 2024.
    • The first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been delayed until at least May 17.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week to replace a bad rocket valve

The Associated Press News Site (USA) Wednesday, 08 May 2024 00:18
  • Unique Points
    • Boeing's first astronaut launch is delayed until late next week due to a bad valve in the rocket.
    • The pressure-relief valve in the Atlas V rocket's upper stage opened and closed rapidly, creating a loud buzz.
    • Engineers determined that the valve has exceeded its design limit and must be replaced.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication