Booster valve glitch derails first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft

- Boeing's Starliner crew ferry ship launch was scrubbed due to a valve glitch in the rocket's upper stage - The launch was delayed until at least Friday for further data analysis on the pressure regulation valve - The valve issue caused a humming sound and had to be assessed for safety - United Launch Alliance CEO indicated the valve was qualified for 200,000 open-and-close cycles and engineers were analyzing the data to determine its status - Boeing's Starliner has faced delays, budget overruns, and corrective actions due to various issues - If the Starliner test flight is successful, NASA expects to certify it for routine crew rotation flights - SpaceX's Crew Dragon has been operational and successful with multiple crew rotation flights - Boeing's response to SpaceX, the Starliner, is designed for crew flights to the International Space Station - The commercial crew program contracts awarded to SpaceX and Boeing aimed to develop spacecraft to carry astronauts to and from the ISS - SpaceX faced technical delays and funding shortfalls, while Boeing faced issues with valves, software errors, and more - Additional troubleshooting and corrective actions have led to the Starliner's first crewed flight being delayed to 2024, after significant investments from Boeing's own funds.