This Week in Launch: Take two for Boeing Starliner’s CFT mission

Once again the big story this week will be the reattempt of Boeing’s CFT mission to the International Space Station. After a week of analysis, ULA is changing out a valve on the rockets upper stage which is what caused the abort last week.

This week’s launches:

• May 14 (Tuesday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 8-7 | 9:29 A.M. PT
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
• May 16 (Thursday)
  • VKS RF | Soyuz 2.1b | Unknown Payload | 4:00 P.M. ET
    • Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
• May 17 (Friday)
  • ULA | Atlas V N22 | Starliner CFT | 6:16 P.M. ET
    • SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-59 | 9:22 P.M. ET
    • SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
• May 19 (Sunday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | NROL-146 | TBD
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Station, California

ULA changes valve on Atlas V ahead of CFT launch attempt

Last week Monday Boeing and ULA attempted its first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. However, the launch ended in a scrub a few hours before launch due to an oscillating valve on Atlas V‘s Centaur upper stage.

Specifically, the valve is a liquid oxygen relief valve that helps regulate the pressure inside the stage.

ULA teams took time to study the valve and after a repeat issue during detanking operations, they determined the valve exceeded its designed life span. Last week Thursday, ULA rolled its Atlas V rocket back to the Vertical Integration Facility to replace the valve in the Centaur.

The Centaur stage is kept structurally sound by keeping it pressurized. To replace this they must stretch the tank to keep it rigid while it’s depressurized. This can only be done in the VIF.

There is no word yet if the valve replacement will be completed before Friday’s launch attempt or not. Tory Bruno, ULA CEO, said during a post-scrub press conference that the replacement “would take a few days.” Currently the crew of Starliner CFT, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are in Houston, still under quarantine. They returned from the cape last Thursday to await word on the valve replacement.