Trouble chasing trouble: the launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft was canceled

The malfunctions continue to haunt the Boeing company: the Starliner spacecraft was supposed to take off tonight (Tuesday), but at the last moment the launch was canceled. The spacecraft carrying two astronauts was planned to reach the International Space Station, stay there for ten days, conduct experiments and return to Earth. But another malfunction stopped the takeoff.

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The spacecraft that Boeing had been working on for years, after many series of failures, was already on the launch pad at the Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The crews arrived at the control center, the astronauts were about to board the shuttle, but at the last minute a fault was detected in one of the valves, which led to the decision to stop the launch, at least until May 10th.

This isn't the first glitch the spacecraft has experienced: Boeing's first test flight was originally supposed to take off in 2015, but it was pushed back to 2019, when software glitches led to problems with an internal clock and over-running thrusters. So much fuel was consumed that the capsule failed to reach the space station.

A second attempt was planned for August 2021 but was again delayed until May 2022. The fault then was a fault in the propulsion system. When the spacecraft finally descended to Earth, having completed its mission, concerns were raised about the performance of some of the spacecraft's thrusters and cooling systems.

At the same time, Boeing is facing other problems in the field of civil aviation: the company is facing severe criticism for a series of serious malfunctions in its planes and testimonies from former employees about the "slippage" of control and inspection processes during the assembly of the planes. The company hoped that the entry into the field of space aviation would restore its situation and forget the malfunctions in the civilian planes, but as mentioned the delay of the takeoff once again raises heavy question marks regarding the company's ability to "lift" the space project.

The Starliner stands five meters tall and 4.6 meters wide, and is wider than the capsule used in the Apollo missions. It has room for up to seven astronauts, although only four will normally fly in it. It is designed to be reused up to ten times.

The crew was to include two astronauts: Sunita Williams, who had been on the International Space Station for 322 days, and pilot Barry Wilmore, who had already commanded a space flight and the International Space Station. The two are supposed to test the seats, evaluate the life support and navigation systems on board and test the system that transfers cargo to the International Space Station.

The astronauts were supposed to wear state-of-the-art spacesuits, and Weimar Williams will, if the spacecraft does launch, wear the blue Boeing suit which is 40% lighter and more flexible than previous generations of spacesuits worn by American astronauts. The suit also has touchscreen-sensitive gloves, so the astronauts can work with tablets in the spacecraft.

According to the original plan, the Starliner was supposed to dock at the International Space Station for about ten days, the astronauts were supposed to stay there and return to Earth. Unlike re-entry of American capsules that landed in the middle of the sea, Straliner is expected to land on land in the southwest of the United States. A heat shield and parachutes will slow down the descent before the airbags open, to soften the moment of impact with the ground.