Helium leak further delays NASA and Boeing’s Starliner test flight

NASA and Boeing have once again delayed the launch of the crewed Boeing Starliner, following a helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the teams were targeting Saturday 25^th May as the new launch date, but this has once again been delayed to Saturday 1^st June at the earliest.

Read more: Helium leak stalls NASA and Boeing’s Starliner test flight

The crewed test flight was originally scheduled for take-off on 6^th May but was scrapped just two hours before due to an issue related to a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rock’s Centaur upper stage.

With the additional time, the joint NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) teams will use the additional time to ensure all issues are rectified before the next launch date.

As part of the work, the teams are also in the process of completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. This is unrelated to the current leak, which NASA says remains stable.

Steve Stich, Manager of NASA Commercial Crew Programme, said there has been a great deal of analysis and testing over the last two weeks by the joint NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams to replace the centaur self-regulating valve and troubleshoot the Starliner Service Module helium leak.

He continued, “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 of our Interim Human Rating Certification.”

If the date of 1^st June isn’t achieved, the crews have additional opportunities on Sunday 2^nd June, Wednesday 5^th June, and Thursday 6^th June.

Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams will be the first to launch aboard Starliner to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme. The astronauts will spend around a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern US.

Following the delay, the duo will remain quarantined in Houston as prelaunch operations progress and will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida closer to the new launch date.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.