Helium leaks might again be pushing back a big part of the spacecraft's first crewed mission
The Boeing $BA CST-100 Starliner is facing yet another delay. Though the spacecraft successfully launched June 5 after weeks of last-minute hold-ups that followed nearly a decade’s worth of waiting, it will take a little bit longer to come home than originally thought.
“NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than Saturday, June 22, to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission from the International Space Station,” NASA said in a news release Friday, the same day that CNBC reports that the mission was originally meant to end.
Helium leaks that could have impacted the Starliner’s propulsion system had been an initial source of concern, but Boeing and NASA determined that it would be okay to launch despite them. On Monday, NASA said it was assessing the impact of “five small leaks” after the craft arrived at the International Space Station.
“We have an incredible opportunity to spend more time at station and perform more tests which provides invaluable data unique to our position,” said Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president and program manager of its Commercial Crew Program, in a statement accompanying the news. “As the integrated NASA and Boeing teams have said each step of the way, we have plenty of margin and time on station to maximize the opportunity for all partners to learn – including our crew.”
Boeing and NASA will have a press conference Tuesday to more fully explain the game plan for landing the Starliner.
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