NASA, Boeing set for 3rd attempt at Starliner crew flight test

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The first-ever Starliner launch with astronauts on board is expected to lift off from Florida’s Space Coast on Wednesday.

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It’ll be the third attempt for the NASA and Boeing crew flight test to the International Space Station with veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard.

Mission managers say the Starliner and Atlas V Rocket are set to go. They’re targeting a launch at 10:52 a.m.

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The last launch attempt was scrubbed with less than four minutes left in the countdown after in issue with ground support equpiment involving a failed power distribution source.

Before that, a faulty valve on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V carrying the mission haulted a May 6 launch attempt.

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“It’s unfortunate that it all just ahppened to pile up on this on elaunch,” Associate Professor of Space Systems for teh Florida Intitute of Technology Don Platt said.

Platt says an uncrewed mission likely would have already launched.

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“There’s no reason to take undue risk,” Platt said. “I don’t think that anybody wants to see this go too early and have it end in a bad way, so there’s a lot of reasons to take care, especially with the first launch with humans on it.”

Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week at the space station, testing the Starliner and its systems to help NASA certify the spacecraft for regular missions to the ISS as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew program.

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