Try, try again: Boeing Starliner launch with Tennessee co-pilot slated for Wednesday

Joyce Orlando, USA TODAY NETWORK
·4 min read

Could the third time be the charm for the NASA and Boeing Starliner launch on Wednesday?

With just under four minutes left on the countdown, the second attempt to launch Boeing's manned Starliner was scrubbed when the rocket's computer initiated a hold, NASA stated. The next launch attempt window NASA will aim for is Wednesday.

Two experienced astronauts, including a Tennessee native, are part of an even higher stakes demonstration after the scrapping of the last two mission. This is the final demonstration before the spacecraft can be approved for routine trips to orbit.

Barry "Butch" Wilmore, a Mt. Juliet High School and Tennessee Tech graduate, will be in the cockpit along with Sunita "Suni" Williams, for the CST-100 Starliner test mission Wednesday in Florida. Wilmore and Williams will be the first crew on board for a Starliner orbital flight test.

When is the Boeing Starliner's third launch attempt?

According to Space.com, the mission is set to launch at 10:52 a.m. ET/ 9:52 a.m. CT Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, on Florida's Space Coast.

The Starliner and the two astronauts will be atop a ULA Atlas V rocket.

Why were the first two Starliner launches scrubbed?

The first launch attempt was supposed to take place almost a month ago on May 6 but was scrubbed due to a stuck valve on the rocket launching Starliner. It was replaced, but a small helium leak on one of Starliner's thrusters was also discovered by engineers. The next attempt wouldn't happen until June.

On Saturday, June 1, Starliner was expected to make the journey to the International Space Station but the launch attempt was stopped "due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count," said a post from NASA Commercial Crew on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

What is Boeing's Starliner purpose?

Boeing's Starliner is intended to be a vehicle to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. The Starliner's design is meant to accommodate no more than seven passengers for low-Earth orbit missions. NASA intends for the capsule to carry only four astronauts along with a mix of cargo and other scientific instruments to and from the International Space Station.

This launch is one of several that NASA has had after partnering with private industry to help continue programs for space travel and exploration.

Boeing received a $4.2 billion contract from NASA in 2014, but didn't launch its first unmanned mission in 2019. The Starliner project is years behind competitors like Elon Musk's SpaceX program and is also over budget with the project. Boeing estimates the project has cost the private company $1 billion in losses, reports NPR.

How to watch the Boeing Starliner launch with NASA on Wednesday

Boeing and NASA are once again on target for the planned Wednesday launch for Starliner.

You can watch the live coverage from NASA beginning at 7:15 a.m. CT on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency's YouTube page and its website. A postlaunch news conference is also planned.

Watch the Boeing Starliner live

As of Monday, June 3, a news release states the NASA livestream for the next attempt will take place the morning of the launch as the countdown milestones occur.

Find NASA's livestream here.

Who are the NASA astronauts on Boeing's Starliner?

Both Williams and Wilmore are experienced pilots with the Navy and have flown in space twice, according to Florida Today, a USA TODAY Network publication. Here's a bit of background on the two.

  • Williams, 58, is a former Naval test pilot with experience flying over 30 different aircraft. Selected as an astronaut in 1998, she has has logged 322 days in space over two missions since her first flight in 2007.

  • Wilmore, 61, is a retired Navy captain who completed 21 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm before joining NASA in 200. Since then, he has logged 178 days in space after his first trip to orbit in 2009.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Boeing Starliner launch set again. Here's when NASA hopes to launch