With two hours left before the Starliner spacecraft was to lift off on its historic first manned mission last night, Boeing and Nasa were forced to halt the launch. The astronauts were already seated in the space capsule when everything was blown off. The reason was a problem with a valve.
According to Space.com, another attempt could be made this week, either on Tuesday or Friday.
There is a lot of prestige and money in the project. Boeing has been trying to pull off the launch for years. If it is finally successful, Nasa will continue to use spacecraft from both Space X and Boeing for future space missions.
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Boeing takes astronauts to ISS – key day for Nasa
After years of problems with the planes, and years of problems with the spacecraft, it's finally time for Boeing to send people into space. On the night of Tuesday, Swedish time, a manned Starliner spacecraft lifts off for the first time in the direction of the International Space Station ISS.
The Washington Post describes it as an important test and a big moment for both Boeing and Nasa. The US space agency is keen that more companies, in addition to Space X, should be able to fly people to the ISS.
Although all safety measures have been taken, manned launches are always very risky, the newspaper notes. James Free at Nasa describes it as a critical milestone.
- The lives of our crew members, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, are at stake. We don't take it lightly at all, he says.
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