Boeing is returning the CST-100 Starliner to the factory after closed valves delayed its August 3 launch.
Boeing is returning the CST-100 Starliner to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) so it can figure out what caused the spacecraft to miss the launch planned for August 3. Starliner was supposed to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, but Boeing said its engineers “detected unexpected valve position indications in the propulsion system” during pre-launch preparations, so the mission was delayed. Boeing initially said it was exploring a possible launch on August 4, but as of August 12, the company said that only nine of the 14 affected valves were “open and functioning normally after the application of electrical and thermal techniques to prompt and command them open.
