Boeing’s launch of $1.5 billion Starliner spacecraft carrying 2 astronauts was CANCELED moments before liftoff because of ‘technical issue’

BOEING’s new $1.5 billion Starliner spacecraft had its launch sensationally canceled moments before liftoff.

The inaugural flight was abruptly halted on Saturday despite both astronauts being ready to go, with the mission now postponed for at least 24 hours.

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The CST-200 Starliner’s first trip to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed once again, as Boeing says a “technological issue” plagued the big day.

Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore, were reportedly strapped into the capsule awaiting liftoff.

But the countdown was dramatically interrupted with just three minutes and 50 seconds left on the clock.

Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, is a retired Navy captain who has spent about 178 days in space during his lifetime.

Fellow pilot Suni Williams, 58, a former Navy test pilot, also has experience flying more than 30 different aircraft.

She has spent 322 days in space on two missions since her first flight in 2007.

They were supposed to spend about a week on the ISS.

The launch has already been delayed due to leak checks and rocket repairs.

The first attempt in 2019 failed due to software and engineering flaws, despite the spacecraft being unmanned.

However, a second attempt in 2022 was successful and led to the mission expected today with two astronauts in the cabin.

But on May 6, the countdown was halted again, just two hours before launch, due to a faulty pressure valve in the Atlas upper stage.

It was scheduled to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop an Atlas V rocket.

The apparently doomed spacecraft was manufactured by United Launch Alliance – a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture.

The postponement was announced during a live NASA webcast.

O next available launch opportunities are Sunday (June 2), Wednesday (June 5) and Thursday (June 6).

With Boeing hoping the spacecraft could eventually transport humans to Mars if it ever takes off.

Aerospace giant Boeing has long been involved in NASA’s manned spacecraft program, receiving more than $4 billion to develop and fly the Starliner in 2014.

Boeing is competing with companies like SpaceX to provide equipment for future NASA missions and has spent nearly $600 million to fix engineering setbacks caused by previous accidents.

Here we go again…

Analysis by Jamie Harris, senior technology and science reporter at The Sun

Boeing didn’t really have much luck with its first manned space launch, but it looks like they’re finally going to have some good news.

The company attempted to send an unmanned Starliner to the ISS in 2019, but failed due to a series of problems – not to mention the disruption caused by the pandemic – and returned to Earth early.

A second unmanned test took place well into 2022, but a year later, experts discovered new problems that delayed a launch carrying astronauts.

Of course, safety comes first, so it’s a necessary step.

Experts working on the billion-dollar project tried to minimize the delay.

“I don’t find it frustrating at all,” Boeing program manager Mark Nappi recently told the press.

“We would have liked to have gone further at this point. There’s no doubt about that. But we’re here, prepared and ready to fly.”

Space is also an expensive business, so Boeing – and NASA – need this mission to succeed.

The development problems cost the company a whopping $1.5 billion in fees, as well as about $325 million for NASA in incentives for Boeing’s $4.2 billion fixed-price Starliner contract, according to records of titles and hiring data reviewed by Reuters.

NASA also needs this to work if it wants to keep up with China, which is making huge advances to the Moon and beyond.