A year behind and $1.5 billion over budget: Timeline shows Boeing Starliner struggles and scrubs
Scrubbed launches for Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, built to send a pair of astronauts to the International Space Station, have become a regular event recently.
The June 1 launch of the Starliner to transport two NASA astronauts, and former Navy pilots, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, to and from the ISS, was halted a few minutes from liftoff and a June 2 launch window bypassed.
Now, as of Tuesday afternoon, NASA was looking to attempt a launch on Wednesday, June 5, at 10:52 a.m. ET.
This comes after several delays including launches scrubbed in May due to technical issues including an oxygen leak and a helium leak from the capsule's propulsion system.
Boeing won NASA contract in 2014
These recent delays aren't the only challenges Boeing has faced in getting Starliner into space since NASA awarded it $4.2 billion as part of the space agency's goal of developing private industry partners to transport astronauts to and from the space station.
At the time, competitor SpaceX got $2.6 billion. Each companies' funding has grown to $4.8 billion and $3.1 billion, respectively, according to NASA.
While SpaceX has reliably been transporting astronauts and supplies to the ISS, Boeing's project is years behind schedule and has racked up $1.5 billion in unplanned development costs, Reuters reported.
The Boeing Starliner remains grounded: See the challenges that have delayed its launch
Here's a timeline of Boeing and its Starliner program.
Timeline: Boeing Starliner launch delays and other events
June 1, 2024: Launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida – with astronauts Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams on board – scrubbed when the computer ground launch sequencer did not load properly.
May 14, 2024: Starliner crewed launch set for May 17 scrubbed because of a helium leak in the service module.
May 6, 2024: Starliner's first crewed launch attempt scrubbed because of a faulty oxygen relief valve, NASA said.
June 1, 2023: Boeing scraps July 21 first crewed flight after realizing adhesive tape on craft was flammable.
Aug 25, 2022: Boeing announces early 2023 target for first manned Starliner mission.
May 25, 2022: Starliner spacecraft lands in New Mexico after successful second unmanned mission to International Space Station.
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft made its first connection to the International Space Station on May 20, 2022.
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft made its first connection to the International Space Station on May 20, 2022.
May 20, 2022: Starliner docks with ISS for the first time, Boeing reports. The unmanned spacecraft launched on May 19, 2022 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Aug. 4, 2021: Starliner's unmanned launch to the ISS is delayed to examine the cause of the unexpected valve position indications on its propulsion system, NASA said.
July 29, 2021: A space station mishap prompts NASA to postpone Starliner's planned July 28 launch.
Oct. 7, 2020: Chris Ferguson, the chief astronaut for Starliner crewed flight to the ISS, steps down from the job, citing family priorities.
Jan. 7, 2020: NASA and Boeing investigate software glitches that prevented Starliner capsule from reaching the ISS.
Dec. 20, 2019: Uncrewed Starliner launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station but fails to make orbit needed to dock with the ISS. It successfully descended Dec. 22, 2019 in New Mexico, NASA said.
Nov. 4, 2019: Boeing says one of three parachutes failed to open during a crucial unmanned test of the Starliner.
January 25, 2017: Boeing unveils lighter spacesuits for Starliner crew, NASA said.
Sept. 4, 2015: Boeing unveils the assembly plant where Starliner spacecraft will be built.
Sept. 16, 2014: NASA awards Boeing up to $4.2 billion – SpaceX got $2.6 billion – to launch crews to the International Space Station.
April 3, 2012: Boeing had already begun working on its commercial spacecraft program, successfully completing a helicopter-aided parachute drop test of the craft on this day in Nevada, Space.com reported.
October 2011: Boeing wraps up wind-tunnel tests on a scale version of what would become Starliner, Space.com reported.
Boeing looks for success after bumpy 2024
A successful Starliner mission could help Boeing rebound in the public eye from ongoing issues with its 737 Max jets, including the grounding of the planes after an Alaska Airlines 737 Max lost a door plug during a flight in January.
“It’s been hugely embarrassing for Boeing,” Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Wired in May. “It fits in with the general narrative of Boeing having lost its way."
Boeing is a longtime NASA contractor, having collaborated on the Saturn V rocket in the Apollo program and the Space Shuttle program, according to Space.com.
Contributing: Reuters; Brooke Edwards, Jamie Groh and Rick Neale of Florida Today.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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