Boeing postpones launch of Starliner space capsule over valve problem

Cancellation of inaugural crewed space mission comes as Boeing is under fire over safety record at its aviation arm.

Boeing has called off the inaugural crewed flight CST-100 Starliner space capsule after engineers detected an issue with a rocket valve.

The decision to call off the launch on Monday came two hours before the scheduled liftoff and about an hour after two NASA astronauts had strapped into the spacecraft.

The postponement, blamed on a problem with a valve in the Atlas V rocket, was announced during a live NASA webcast.

“Standing down on tonight’s attempt to launch,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a post on X.

“As I’ve said before, @NASA’s first priority is safety. We go when we’re ready.”