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After the cancellation of the first manned Starliner launch yesterday, NASA, Boeing and ULA have decided to wait a few days for the next attempt. Starliner was finally scheduled to launch on Saturday afternoon after a series of delays, but the attempt was halted due to last-minute issues with a ground computer system that plays a key role in launching the rocket. After assessing the issues, NASA and partners discussed the possibility of flying today, but decided to postpone it until the next opportunity, June 5 or 6.
Saturday’s launch was canceled not because of a problem with the Starliner vehicle itself, but because the ground launch sequencer issued an automatic shutdown for reasons that were unknown at the time. At a press conference Saturday afternoon, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno explained that the problem arose while checking the launch sequencer’s redundancy. The system has three large computers, all identical, making it “triple redundant,” Bruno said. During a systems health check minutes before liftoff, one of the computers started up slowly, triggering the automatic shutdown.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The decision to cancel today’s launch was made “to give the team additional time to evaluate the ground support equipment issue,” the company said. The launch window will reopen on June 5, but a target launch time has yet to be announced. If Starliner does not fly by June 6, it will be delayed at least another 10 days. Ars Technica The ULA team reports that the batteries on the Atlas V rocket need to be replaced.