The first manned flight of the Starliner spacecraft has been postponed to May 17

The start of the first manned mission of the American company Boeing's Starliner space capsule has been postponed to mid-May. NASA announced yesterday that the Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to lift off no later than May 17 at 6:16 pm (local time). The launch of a Starliner rocket to the International Space Station, scheduled for late Monday evening (local time), had to be postponed due to a new technical problem.

The mission was canceled just two hours before the scheduled launch, and astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams were already strapped into their seats.

The Starliner program has suffered a number of setbacks and delays in recent years. During an unmanned test flight in 2019, the capsule did not reach the planned path due to a software error and was forced to return to Earth without reaching the International Space Station.

In 2021, the start had to be postponed due to blocked valves. In May 2022, Starliner finally arrived at the International Space Station for the first time in an unmanned flight. However, the first manned flight was repeatedly postponed due to various problems.