According to the original plan, at 10:34 Beijing time on May 7, 2024 (22:34 EDT on the 6th), the "Atlas 5" N22 carrier rocket carrying the "Star Flight" CFT manned spacecraft will be launched from the SLC-41 station of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida. The launch attempt was cancelled due to an abnormal reading of the rocket core's second-stage oxygen relief valve, and the crew of two astronauts returned to the astronauts' quarters at the Kennedy Space Center.
After evaluation, the United Launch Alliance decided to replace the valve in question, and the ship-and-arrow assembly was transferred back to the vertical final assembly test plant at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base to support the work. NASA, Boeing and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) have decided to postpone the mission to 06:16 Beijing time on May 18 (18:16 EDT on May 17).
From left: Sunita Lim Williams, Barry S. E. Wilmore
Due to the delay of the launch for nearly 11 days, the two astronaut commanders of the "Interstellar Flight" CFT crew, Barry Brown, have been delayed for nearly 11 days. Barry E. Wilmore and pilot Sunita Lyn Williams are scheduled to return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, no later than May 12.
During the day on April 25, the two astronauts of the "Star Flight" CFT crew took off from Ellington Field at NASA's Johnson Space Center in a T-38 jet and landed at the Kennedy Space Center launch and landing facility in Florida after a short flight. 2 astronauts paid tribute to their piloting career as retired US Navy colonels by flying a T-38 aircraft to Kennedy! The crew arrived at the launch site more than 11 days after the first launch attempt.
Due to the long delay, in order to better protect the physical and mental state of the astronauts, it is more appropriate to arrange for the astronauts to return to the Johnson Space Center, which is more equipped and staffed. Thereafter, the crew will travel to the Kennedy Space Center again before the next launch attempt.
The Johnson Space Center (JSC) is the largest space research center under NASA, named after former U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, located on the shore of Clear Lake, 35 kilometers southeast of Houston, and was established in 1962. The center is the mission control center and astronaut selection and training center for the US manned space flight, and is the base camp of the US manned space mission.
Author: Mulan Xingzhou