May 7 :
There was a technical fault that caused the first-crewed launch of the Boeing Starliner to be delayed. This flight was supposed to send Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams into space for the third time. NASA authorities acknowledged the delay. At Florida's Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Williams were getting ready for liftoff when the news of the delay was given.

The launch attempt this evening is in jeopardy. Safety is @NASA's top concern, as I've stated previously. When we're read, we go, NASA administrator Bill Nelson wrote on X.

In order to provide updates on the next potential launch date, NASA has announced that a news conference would be held later on May 6. The announcement of the delay was made so that engineers could investigate anomalous data from an oxygen relief valve on the rocket's second stage.

A safe return to Earth in the western United States, as well as extensive testing of the spacecraft's operations, including launch procedures and docking manoeuvres, are the objectives of this mission. Starliner and its ancillary systems will be certified for future crewed missions to the space station if the crewed flight test is successful.

Importantly, Williams has an impressive track record of space exploration thanks to his selection as an astronaut by NASA in 1998. Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33 were her prior space trips.

Williams set a new record for female astronauts during Expedition 14/15 (December 2006–June 2007) by spending a total of 29 hours and 17 minutes outside the ISS on four separate spacewalks. She led the International Space Station (ISS) as flight engineer and co-piloted three spacewalks with Japan's Akihiko Hoshide during Expedition 32/33 (July–November 2012).
Williams set a record for female astronauts with her 322 days in space and 50 hours and 40 minutes of spacewalk time.

A technical issue has caused Sunita Williams' third space trip to be delayed.