Boeing tries again to launch NASA astronauts for the first time after latest round of repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing prepared again Wednesday for its first astronaut launchsustained for years for security reasons.

It was the third launch attempt for NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Rocket-related problems thwarted the first two countdowns.

The astronauts will test the Starliner’s systems en route to the International Space Station, where they will spend at least a week before landing in the western US.

NASA hired Boeing along with SpaceX after the space shuttles retired to transport astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX has been transporting astronauts since 2020.

The Boeing capsule entered orbit in 2019 without a crew, but the test flight was interrupted by software problems. Boeing had better luck with the 2022 restart mission, but parachute and other problems were later discovered, further delaying the Starliner crew’s debut.

Minutes before Saturday’s planned liftoff, a computer power unit failed on the platform and had to be replaced by rocket maker United Launch Alliance. And a faulty valve inside the Atlas V rocket canceled the launch attempt in early May.

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