Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The inaugural crewed mission of Boeing's Starliner capsule has been postponed once more, this time by four days. Initially rescheduled for May 17 after a prior delay from May 7 due to a pressure valve issue, the launch is now set for May 21 following the detection of a helium leak.
The Crew Flight Test (CFT) will send NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) for an eight-day stay. This mission marks a critical milestone in the Starliner program.
Teams identified a minor helium leak in Starliner's service module, necessitating the delay. Boeing announced the new target date of May 21 in an update on May 14.
Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window opens at 4:43 p.m. EDT (2043 GMT), and the event will be streamed live on Space.com.
This delay is the latest in a series of setbacks for the CFT mission. Originally slated for May 6, the launch was first postponed due to a "buzzing" valve in the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage.
The valve issue required a replacement, prompting an initial delay to May 10, and subsequently to May 17. The Atlas V rocket was rolled off the pad to an assembly facility for this operation.
The newly discovered helium leak has been traced to a flange on a reaction control system thruster in the service module. While these thrusters do not burn helium, the gas is crucial for their proper operation.
Boeing and NASA are developing testing protocols and operational solutions to address the leak. The propulsion system will be brought up to flight pressurization, with the helium system vented naturally to validate data and ensure flight readiness.
The CFT mission will be Starliner’s third flight and its first with a crew. Success on this mission will lead to the certification of Starliner for long-duration missions to the ISS, under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA. SpaceX, which holds a similar contract, completed its equivalent mission in 2020 and is currently conducting its eighth operational mission to the ISS.