Today, Boeing informed NASA that the company will destack its CST-100
Starliner from the Atlas V rocket and return the spacecraft to the
Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) for deeper-level
troubleshooting of four propulsion system valves that remain closed after
last Tuesday’s scrubbed launch.
Starliner has sat atop the Atlas V rocket in ULA’s Vertical Integration
Facility since August 4, where Boeing teams have worked to restore
functionality to the affected valves.
The relocation of the spacecraft to the C3PF will require Boeing, NASA and
United Launch Alliance to agree on a new launch date once the valve issue is
resolved.
“Mission success in human spaceflight depends on thousands of factors coming
together at the right time,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program
manager, Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “We’ll continue to work the issue
from the Starliner factory and have decided to stand down for this launch
window to make way for other national priority missions.”