Investor's Business Daily by Gillian Rich 8/13/2021
SpaceX To Extend Lock On NASA Deal As Boeing Confirms Starliner Delay Until At Least Mid October
An uncrewed Boeing Starliner test flight will not happen until after mid-October, making a crewed flight this year unlikely and extending NASA's reliance on SpaceX for getting astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing stock fell Friday.
Boeing (BA) said Friday it will destack the Starliner capsule from the Atlas V rocket and return the spacecraft to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility for deeper troubleshooting of four propulsion system valves that remain closed.
The relocation means Boeing, NASA and United Launch Alliance will have to agree on a new launch date, the company said. That open-ended timeframe comes after Boeing said Monday it was considering multiple launch dates in August.
An uncrewed Starliner launch last month was delayed due to technical issues with the valves. The company announced Thursday that nine of the 13 malfunctioning values are now working.
More:
https://www.investors.com/news/boeing-starliner-launch-delay-extends-spacex-lock-on-nasa-deal/
