NASA said Saturday that the much-anticipated crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been pushed back yet again, this time because of a leak of helium in one of its thrusters.
The mission, which is to send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station, was originally scheduled to launch on May 25.
In a posting made on X.com, NASA said, “NASA, @BoeingSpace, and @ulalaunch are now targeting no earlier than 3:09 pm ET May 25 for the launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission."
“Teams will use the additional time to finalise next steps that address a stable helium leak on the #Starliner service module,” it added.
This is another in the lineup of delays that have hit Boeing's Starliner over the years. The first crewed mission of the spacecraft was originally scheduled for May 7 but was delayed just two hours before launch because of a valve problem with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket's upper stage.
Subsequent launch attempts last May 10 and May 21 were also foiled due to the helium leak problem.
NASA conducted pressure testing last May 15 to check the integrity of the Starliner's helium system. The results showed that while there is a stable leak in the flange, it won't pose a risk during the flight.
“The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module,” NASA said.
Boeing said “teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight”.
Meanwhile, the ULA Atlas V rocket and the Starliner spacecraft, which were rolled back from the launch pad, continue to be housed in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
While continuing preparations, astronauts Wilmore and Williams will keep quarantined in Houston.
The Starliner mission bodes well for future NASA missions to carry astronauts and cargo to low Earth orbit and beyond.
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