NASA and Boeing hit pause on their historic crewed Starliner mission just minutes before liftoff Saturday, marking the second delay in under a week. 🛑 The nail-biting hold occurred 3 minutes and 50 seconds before launch due to an automatic ground sequencer issue, leaving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams grounded for now.
🚨 The stakes are high: This test flight aims to certify Starliner as NASA's newest crew transport to the International Space Station (ISS). If successful, it’ll join SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. But Saturday’s scrub follows a May 6 postponement over technical glitches – fueling speculation about the spacecraft’s readiness.
🔠What’s next? NASA hasn’t announced a new launch window yet, but all eyes remain on Cape Canaveral. The mission is critical for Boeing to prove Starliner’s safety after years of development hurdles. Once cleared, Wilmore and Williams will spend a week testing systems aboard the ISS. 🛰️
💡 Fun fact: This would’ve been the first crewed Atlas V rocket launch ever. Space fans are now refreshing feeds for updates – we’ll keep you posted!
