Boeing Woes Mount as Capsule Space Station Docking Scrapped

Timer error on debut flight to force Starliner return Sunday
Effect on resuming U.S. trips for astronauts remains unclear

Boeing launched a crew capsule on its debut test flight to the International Space Station, a milestone for NASA’s private-public efforts to resume U.S. trips to the orbiting laboratory.

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By Justin Bachman

December 20, 2019 at 11:38 AM UTC

Updated on

December 21, 2019 at 3:44 AM UTC

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Boeing Co. scrubbed plans for its CST-100 Starliner to rendezvous with the International Space Station on the capsule’s debut flight, raising doubts over whether the company will be able to ferry astronauts to the orbiting laboratory next year.

The mishap Friday represented another high-profile setback for an aerospace giant that was already contending with the prolonged grounding of its top-selling jetliner, the 737 Max. It also raises the stakes for the craft’s earlier-than-planned Sunday morning landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.