Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Boeing's highly anticipated first crewed test flight of the Starliner space capsule was postponed just hours before liftoff due to a technical issue.
The postponement, announced during a live NASA webcast, was attributed to a valve issue in the rocket's second stage, causing concerns about the safety of the mission.
The Boeing Starliner was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida's Cape Canaveral at 8.04 am India time.
NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance made the decision to scrub the launch opportunity on Monday, citing a faulty oxygen relief valve observation on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Centaur second stage.
NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore, 61, and Sunita Williams, 58, were strapped into their seats aboard the spacecraft about an hour before launch activities were suspended.
Williams, selected for her extensive experience in spacecraft development, has been waiting for a commercial crew flight for nearly a decade. She was assigned to the Crew Flight Test mission in 2022.
The next available launch window for the mission is Tuesday night, although a decision regarding a second liftoff attempt has yet to be made.
The crew, consisting of Wilmore and Williams, will conduct thorough tests of the Starliner's systems and capabilities during the approximately 10-day mission.
The successful completion of the Crew Flight Test will bring the Starliner closer to regularly transporting personnel to and from the ISS, strengthening the United States' independent access to space.