NASA once more delayed Boeing’s debut crewed flight of its Starliner capsule on Tuesday so engineers can spend extra time evaluating a helium leak within the spacecraft’s propulsion system, the company mentioned in a press release.
The launch, beforehand set for Could 25, is now on maintain, with the subsequent doable launch date underneath dialogue, the assertion mentioned.
“The crew has been in conferences for 2 consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system efficiency, and redundancy,” NASA mentioned. “There’s nonetheless ahead work in these areas, and the subsequent doable launch alternative remains to be being mentioned.”
The newest postponement of Starliner’s debut mission with people aboard comes as mission officers deepen their evaluate of a helium leak in Starliner’s propulsion system, which was found alongside a difficulty with the Atlas booster shortly earlier than the spacecraft was poised to launch from Florida on Could 7. The Atlas rocket is constructed by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin three way partnership.
Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, are set to journey Starliner as its first crew to the Worldwide House Station after years of delays, technical issues and two uncrewed demonstration flights — one unsuccessful in 2019 and a profitable try in 2022.
With the 2 longtime check pilots aboard, the mission will mark Starliner’s last benchmark check earlier than NASA certifies the spacecraft for routine crewed missions to and from the ISS. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, developed underneath the identical NASA program, has been NASA’s main ISS taxi since 2021.