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Roscosmos slams attempts to link Starliner launch delay with Nauka module as inappropriate

Roscosmos Spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko stressed that work in the space industry involved very complex equipment and delays were normal as maximum safety is prioritized over the speed for each launch
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft AP Photo/John Raoux
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft
© AP Photo/John Raoux

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. The attempts to blame the Russian Nauka research module for the delayed launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) look inappropriate, considering problems revealed in the US spaceship, Roscosmos Spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko said on Wednesday.

"What we fail to understand is that NASA and Boeing are trying to accuse the Russian Nauka module for the delay in the face of serious problems [with the US spacecraft]. Moreover, the weather conditions were unfavorable at the spaceport and the spacecraft and the carrier rocket were returned to the Vertical Integration Facility, which would have not been done, had the delay been caused by the Nauka module. This does not look appropriate," Ustimenko wrote on his Telegram channel.

Roscosmos understands, however, that work in the space industry today involves very complex equipment, Roscosmos’ press secretary stressed.

"Each side encounters problems and faces delays. This is normal as maximum safety is prioritized over the speed for each launch," he added.

NASA announced last week that it had delayed the launch of the Starliner spacecraft to the orbital outpost scheduled for July 30. It said that the launch was delayed over the unplanned firing of the Russian Nauka research module’s thrusters after its docking to the ISS.

Under the new plans, the Starliner was expected to blast off on August 3. However, several hours before the lift-off, Boeing announced it was considering rescheduling the launch for August 4.

Boeing later announced that the launch of the Starliner spacecraft to the orbital outpost scheduled for August 4 had been postponed indefinitely over the need for extra time to assess the spaceship’s readiness.