Boeing Starliner rocket launch scrubbed right before liftoff

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. - After weeks of delays, the Boeing Starliner was expected to launch its first manned mission on Saturday afternoon.

However, the launch scheduled for June 1 at 12:25 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida was called off.

Boeing officials say it has been called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue. There are backup launch opportunities available for Sunday, June 2, and June 5 & 6, according to NASA.

Boeing first expected to take off on May 6, but the mission was scrubbed due to a problem with an oxygen valve. Then, crews discovered a helium leak on the capsule which also delayed the mission.

Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were supposed to be carried to the International Space Station for a week-long stay.

Who are the astronauts?

According to NASA, Wilmore will be the commander of the Crew Flight Test mission and is a veteran of two spaceflights and has accumulated 178 days in space.

Williams will be the pilot of the mission and is a veteran of two space missions.

Both astronauts are retired U.S. Navy pilots.

What's the mission?

NASA says Wilmore and Williams will conduct tests and evaluate if the Starliner is reliable for cargo transfers after docking at the Space Station.

When the mission launches, the Boeing Starliner will become the second space vehicle developed by a private company to ferry astronauts to the Space Station. 

READ: Star nursery, far-off galaxies revealed in stunning new images from Euclid’s telescope

Space-X, owned by Elon Musk, was the first private company to ferry astronauts. It has carried eight crews to the Space Station aboard its "Dragon" spacecraft.

For more information about the launch, click here.

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