Moscow. August 3rd. INTERFAX.RU – The second test launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on the ISS, scheduled for August 3, has been postponed again, the Boeing company said.
In preparation for the launch, the company's specialists noticed abnormal indicators of the valve position indicators in the propulsion system. The equipment was checked after a thunderstorm. The company admits that the ship will still be launched into orbit on August 4.
The launch cancellation message appeared three hours before the scheduled launch.
The launch of the ship in unmanned mode with the United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 heavy launch vehicle was originally slated for July 30. It was postponed to August 3 due to the incident with the docking of the Russian module “Nauka” to the ISS: then the engines of the module suddenly turned on and the station turned 45 degrees.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is being developed for future missions by American astronauts into orbit.
During the first test launch on December 20, 2019, it was unable to dock with the ISS due to a malfunction in the engine timing system.
Under a contract with NASA, Boeing received more than $ 5 billion for the development and production of the Starliner spacecraft, as well as launches for the delivery of astronauts to the ISS and back to Earth. It can accommodate up to seven people.
Another American company, SpaceX, received $ 3.1 billion under a similar contract with NASA to develop its Crew Dragon spacecraft, which has already completed a number of manned flights to the ISS.
