The launch of the first manned spacecraft CST-100 Starliner of the Boeing aerospace corporation to the ISS has been postponed, the press service of United Launch Alliance (ULA), the company that owns the Atlas V launch vehicle, reported.
“ULA Flight Director Tom Heater has decided not to continue preparations for the flight,” reads the message, which was published on the company’s official account on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
At the same time, as reported by NASA, the reason for the cancellation was a malfunction of the oxygen valve of the second stage of the launch vehicle. According to the aerospace agency, the launch could take place before the end of the week, but they will act upon readiness.
“The most important thing in the next 24 hours is to study all the available information, understand the causes of the malfunction, analyze the operation of the valves,” said NASA commercial flight program manager Steve Stich, as follows from the broadcast.
Let us remind you that the cancellation of the launch of the CST-100 Starliner occurred against the backdrop of a series of scandals that shook the company that manufactured the ship, Boeing. According to the latest data, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a new investigation against the airline giant. This comes after it emerged that employees may have falsified a number of inspection reports on the 787 Dreamliner.