CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Will the fourth time be a charm?
Boeing’s first Starliner mission carrying astronauts into space has been delayed once again – this time until at least next week, the company said in a news release Tuesday.
The target date was bumped to May 10 and then, most recently, to Friday because the rocket had to be rolled off the pad to the assembly facility to replace the valve.
Now, a helium leak in the Starliner has prompted NASA and Boeing to push the date to May 21.
NASA and Boeing are developing spacecraft testing and operational solutions to address the issue. As a part of the testing, Boeing will bring the propulsion system up to flight pressurization just as it does prior to launch, and then allow the helium system to vent naturally to validate existing data and strengthen flight rationale.
Mission teams also completed a thorough review of the data from the May 6 launch attempt and are not tracking any other issues.
The Atlas V and Starliner remain in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The launch will be the 100th overall mission for the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, and the first time the vehicle has carried crew. The mission will also be the first crewed launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since the Apollo era.
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