The propulsion system has a helium leak that engineers are trying to fix.
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Boeing’s Starliner capsule, intended for crewed missions, has not yet been launched, despite being more than two weeks past its planned liftoff date. Currently, there is uncertainty around the new launch date. NASA issued a message via email to the press, stating that the launch scheduled for May 25 has been cancelled. The inaugural crew flight of Starliner has had several rescheduling instances, however NASA has not yet determined a new launch date for this particular occurrence. “NASA will provide additional information once we have a more defined plan,” stated the organization, according to SpaceNews.
The initial launch scheduled at the start of the month was canceled because a defective oxygen relief valve was found on the ULA Atlas V rocket transporting the Starliner. The engineers replaced the valve, and the scheduled flight of Starliner was also postponed later that week. NASA announced on May 14th that engineers were actively addressing a helium leak in the propulsion system of the spaceship. In a subsequent update, NASA confirmed that the leak was “stable” and would not present any significant risk during the duration of the trip. At that time, a new specific launch date was established and subsequently rescheduled again, but it appears that the issues persist.
The agency stated in the latest update, as reported by SpaceNews, that the crew was engaged in discussions for two straight days to evaluate flight reasoning, system performance, and redundancy. “There are still pending tasks in these areas, and the next potential launch window is currently under discussion.” Starliner’s development has been characterized by delays thus far. However, given that two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will be on board for this trip, the importance and risks associated with it are particularly significant. Therefore, it is crucial not to compromise on quality or take shortcuts at this stage.
