The liftoff attempt could take place “no earlier than 6:16 p.m. on Friday, May 17” to allow for repairs, according to a statement from the US space agency released on Tuesday.
On Monday, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was due to take off for the first time with astronauts on board, bound for the International Space Station, joining other manned spacecraft.
About two hours before the scheduled launch and just as the two American astronauts were settling into the capsule, the liftoff was canceled: a malfunction was identified in a valve on the Atlas V rocket, which is supposed to put the Starliner into orbit.
The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will remain in isolation in the meantime, NASA said.
Boeing is counting on this last test mission, which should make it possible to demonstrate that the space vehicle is safe before starting regular missions to the International Space Station, four years behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
For NASA, which ordered this vehicle 10 years ago, the stakes are also high: having a second vehicle, in addition to SpaceX’s, to transport astronauts should make it easier to respond in “different scenarios”, such as in the event of an emergency or a problem with one of the devices.
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