The inaugural Starliner crew launch will take place on Wednesday after a computer problem was resolved

The long-awaited inaugural crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will take place on Wednesday, after a computer glitch brought the countdown to an abrupt halt moments before liftoff last Saturday. The mission, known as the crew flight test, will launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 a.m. ET. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be the first crew to travel aboard the Starliner, which will be propelled into orbit on an Atlas V rocket built by United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

The initial attempt was minutes from liftoff when an automatic hold was activated by the ground launch sequencer, the computer responsible for launching the rocket. The astronauts were safely removed from the capsule and returned to crew quarters as the rocket ran out of fuel. Over the weekend, technicians and engineers examined ground support equipment, including three large computers that provide triple redundancy to ensure the safe launch of manned missions.

The problem was traced to a single ground power supply inside one of the computers, which powers the computer cards responsible for key countdown events. The computer showed no physical damage and was replaced with a spare. All other computers and their cards were evaluated and are working as expected.

Earlier problems, including the loss of data from the ground valves responsible for refueling the rocket, were also successfully resolved. Weather conditions are 90% favorable for a Wednesday morning launch, with the only concern being cumulus clouds.

If the launch is successful, the astronauts will spend just over 24 hours traveling to the International Space Station (ISS). They will then spend eight days living on the ISS, joining the seven astronauts and cosmonauts already on board. The crew will continue to test the functionality of the Starliner spacecraft while docked at the space station before returning home aboard the same capsule. The two astronauts are currently in quarantine to protect their health before launch and are practicing procedures and simulations ahead of the historic flight.