Glitch delays Sunita Williams’ third space mission

The first-crewed launch of the Boeing Starliner, which would take Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams into space for a third mission, was delayed hours before the scheduled launch on May 6 due to a technical glitch.

NASA astronauts Williams Butch Wilmore were strapped onto their seats in the spacecraft at the Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida and preparing for liftoff when the delay call was announced. They later exited the Starliner spacecraft to return to astronaut crew quarters.

READ: Sunita Williams set for first piloted launch of Boeing’s Starliner (April 26, 2024)

“Standing down on tonight’s attempt to launch. As I’ve said before, @NASA’s first priority is safety. We go when we’re read,” NASA chief Bill Nelson posted on X.

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance scrubbed the launch opportunity due to a faulty oxygen relief valve observation on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Centaur second stage, NASA stated.

In the context of spaceflight, when NASA refers to a launch as “scrubbed,” it means that the planned launch of a spacecraft has been canceled, postponed, or delayed.

This decision can be made for various reasons, including technical issues, mechanical failures, unfavorable weather conditions, or other safety concerns that arise before the spacecraft can be safely launched.

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance hosted a news conference at 10:30 pm EDT to discuss Monday’s scrubbed launch attempt of the agency’s Crew Flight Test.

READ: Sunita Williams to fly Starliner’s first crewed mission to Space Station (June 17, 2022)

This mission’s objectives include comprehensive testing of the spacecraft’s functionalities, encompassing launch procedures, docking maneuvers, and a safe return to Earth in the western United States. A successful crewed flight test will pave the way for certifying Starliner and associated systems for future crewed missions to the space station.

Williams was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and has been aboard the International Space Station twice. She was set to return to the space station for a third time, traveling aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft as pilot.

She has previously undertaken two space missions, Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. During Expedition 14/15 (December 2006 – June 2007), Williams established a world record for female astronauts by conducting four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes outside the ISS.

In Expedition 32/33 (July – November 2012), she served as flight engineer and ISS commander, conducting three spacewalks alongside Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

READ: Sunita Williams selected for NASA’s commercial spacecraft mission (August 4, 2018)

Williams has accrued 322 days in space across her missions, with a cumulative spacewalk time of 50 hours and 40 minutes, once a record for female astronauts.

Caption: Sunita Williams gives a thumbs up during a mission dress rehearsal on April 26, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.