The flight of Boeing Co. ’s Starliner space capsule was postponed because of an issue with a component in the vehicle’s propulsion system, the company and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.
The unexpected problem in the Starliner’s propulsion system caused officials to cancel the test flight slated for 1:20 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to a statement released by NASA about two hours before the expected launch.
United Launch Alliance, the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. that handles the rockets that would ferry the Starliner into space, will begin removing propellant from the rocket it planned to use for the flight.
NASA is testing the capsule ahead of its planned first flight with astronauts on board later this year. The agency said the next available window to launch the Starliner from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is Aug. 4 at 12:57 p.m. ET.
Boeing said its engineers conducting prelaunch checks of the Starliner initially detected the issue after electrical storms on Monday near the launch site.
