PREVIEW

IEN reports that a NASA contractor has publicly urged the space agency to reconsider an upcoming launch, warning it could end in disaster. The news comes after the initial launch of Boeing's Starliner was scrapped as the result of a leaky valve just last week. NASA has plans to attempt another launch later this week. ValveTech produces valves and other components for both aerospace and military applications. The company issued a press release warning that a second launch attempt could end in catastrophe. The statement from ValveTech President Erin Faville called for NASA to re-double safety checks and protocols. The failed launch last week would have been the first human space flight for Boeing but was scrubbed after a faulty valve was discovered. The Associated Press reported that the fluttering oxygen pressure-relief valve on United Launch Alliance's Atlas rocket may have exceeded its 200,000 lifetime cycles. The ValveTech statement questions how NASA, Aerojet and Boeing could have "qualified this valve for the mission without proper supporting data or previous history or legacy information.". According to ValveTech, this , "goes against aerospace-industry qualification protocols established by NASA."

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