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Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft might possibly have its crewed test flight soon. NASA, which has been working with the company, said Thursday that it is expecting to be able to do the launch a little bit after noon, at 12:25 p.m., on Saturday, June 1. If that doesn’t work, further attempts might also be made on June 2, June 5, or June 6.
The craft was supposed to launch with a crew on May 6, but leaks on a crucial component have pushed that date back several times. Earlier this week, it was thought the delay could be indefinite. The Starliner was first announced in 2010 and expected to be an operational space-and-back vessel nearly a decade ago.
“Teams continue to assess Starliner’s performance and redundancy after discovering a small but stable helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module,” NASA said. “The agency announced May 22 that as part of this work, and unrelated to the current leak, NASA and Boeing are completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. NASA also will conduct a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review closer to launch to evaluate the work performed since the last crew flight test launch attempt on May 6.”