NASA again delayed Boeing's debut crewed flight of its Starliner capsule on Tuesday so engineers can spend more time evaluating a helium leak in the spacecraft's propulsion system, the agency said in a statement, UNN writes, citing Reuters.
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The launch, previously scheduled for May 25, has now been suspended, and the next possible launch date is being discussed, the statement said.
"The team met for a meeting two days in a row, evaluating the flight rationale, system performance, and redundancy," NASA said. "Work is still underway in these areas, and the next possible launch option is still being discussed.
The latest postponement of the debut Starliner mission with people on board came due to the fact that representatives of the mission deepened the investigation of a helium leak in the Starliner propulsion system, which was discovered along with a problem in the Atlas launch vehicle shortly before the spacecraft was supposed to launch from Florida on May 7. The Atlas rocket was created by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Boeing вдруге відклала запуск пілотованої капсули15.05.24, 04:33
Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, are set to board the Starliner as the first crew to the International Space Station after years of delays, technical problems, and two unmanned demonstration flights - one failed in 2019 and a successful attempt in 2022.
With two experienced test pilots on board, this mission will be the last reference Test of Starliner before NASA certifies the spacecraft for crewed flights to and from the ISS. SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, developed as part of the same NASA program, has been NASA's main "taxi" to the ISS since 2021.