Boeing Starliner launch slips to at least June 1 for extended helium leak analysis
The launch of Boeing’s star-crossed Starliner spacecraft on its first piloted test flight is slipping to at least June 1 to give engineers more time to assess a small-but-persistent helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion system, and its potential impact across all phases of flight, NASA announced Wednesday.
Already years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget, the Starliner’s road to launch has been surprisingly rocky, with multiple problems leading up to its first Crew Flight Test, which is now slipping nearly a month beyond its May 6 target.
United Launch Alliance
That launch attempt was called off because of unrelated trouble with a valve in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that was quickly corrected. But the helium leak in the Starliner’s service module, detected during the May 6 countdown, has proven to be more difficult to resolve to everyone’s satisfaction.
Crew Dragon spacecraft.
But that will require a full “human rating certification” for the Starliner, and that will depend on the results of the Crew Flight Test.
“It has been important that we take our time to understand all the complexities of each issue, including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and any implications to our interim human rating certification,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
“We will launch Butch and Suni on this test mission after the entire community has reviewed the teams’ progress and flight rationale” at the upcoming flight readiness review, Stich added.
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Source: cbsnews.com