--- title: "Boeing Forced to Scrub First Astronaut Launch After Strange Buzzing Detected" description: "The long-awaited crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner space capsule had to be delayed yet again — but this time, it wasn't Boeing's fault." date: "2024-05-07" modified: "2024-05-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-scrub-first-astronaut-launch-buzzing" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "crew dragon" - "NASA" - "starliner" - "the digest" - "United Launch Alliance" --- # Boeing Forced to Scrub First Astronaut Launch After Strange Buzzing Detected ![The long-awaited crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner space capsule had to be delayed yet again — but this time, it wasn't Boeing's fault.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Buzz Kill The long-awaited crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner space capsule had to be delayed yet again — but this time, it wasn't Boeing's fault. Two hours before countdown late Monday evening, the launch was scrubbed, with officials noticing a "buzzing," [*CNN* reports](), which later turned out to be an issue with a valve on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. In many ways, it's a routine issue — rocket launches get scrubbed all the time. Even SpaceX's first crewed launch of its Crew Dragon spacecraft [was scrubbed due to bad weather]() four years ago. However, Boeing's development of an alternative way to get to the International Space Station has already faced [years of delays](), [major budget overruns](), and considerable [technical issues](). That's not to mention a continuous stream of disasters [plaguing Boeing's avionics department](). At the same time, it's important to note that Monday's scrub was due to a problem with ULA's rocket, not Boeing's cursed spacecraft. According to ULA CEO Tory Bruno, who spoke at a press conference after the scrub, the buzzing was loud enough for teams to hear it. "The team is just not comfortable with the signatures that they’re seeing, the response out of that valve, so out of an abundance of caution, we are not going to continue with our launch operations today," ULA launch commentator Dillon Rice [said]() on NASA's livestream. ## Boeing Boing Gone Boeing resorted to forcing the offending valve to close, which stopped the buzzing. The process, however, was involved enough for teams to cancel the launch altogether. Bruno later explained that the valve on the rocket would have to be replaced as it was already approaching its rated life of 200,000 cycles. No official date for a followup launch attempt has been announced. In a [Tuesday update](), NASA said that Boeing and ULA "are targeting no earlier than Friday, May 10." NASA, for its part, says it's in no rush. "We’re not in a rush to fly from a station standpoint," said NASA ISS program manager Dana Weigel. "We did clear our summer schedule intentionally to give us plenty of runway for this \[crewed flight test\] mission." **More on the launch:** *[Boeing Desperately Hoping Nothing Bad Happens When It Launches Astronauts Tonight]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()