BOEING’S beleaguered $1.5billion Starliner has received a new target date for its first crewed space launch following countless delays.
The aircraft’s launch to the International Space Station (ISS) was originally set for May 6 but numerous issues have already seen it pushed back three times in as many weeks.
The initial launch 18 days ago was scrapped just two hours prior to take-off after a strange buzzing sound was discovered coming from an oxygen valve.
The rearranged launch date of May 17 was then pushed back to May 25 after teams detected a small helium leak in Starliner’s service module.
Following a period of silence after the incident, however, a NASA spokesperson soon confirmed that May 25 was also off the table as officials deepened their review into the leak.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore, 61, and Suni Williams, 58, who were set to be on board, have remained in limbo ever since as they await a new date for their ride to the ISS.
But it now appears a brand new date has been earmarked for the Starliner to take off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from the US Space Force’s Cape Canaveral launch site.
In a blog post on Wednesday night, NASA announced that it is looking at the start of June for its next attempt, Space Flight Now report.
It was stated that June 1 will be the earliest that the Crew Flight Test of Starliner can begin, with the new launch date having a T-0 liftoff of 12.25pm EDT (5.25pm BST).
There are also backup opportunities available on Sunday, June 2; Wednesday, June 5; and Thursday, June 6 in case of any further delays.
NASA also said in Wednesday’s statement that they are still continuing to asses the conditions of the leak as well as the redundancies built into Starliner.
A spokesperson noted that unrelated to the helium leak, “teams are in the process of completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios.”
A press briefing is now set for today (Fri, May 24) at 11am EDT (4pm BST) to discuss the work done and the path forward to launch.
Astronauts Williams and Wilmore remain in quarantine in Houston, Texas, where they have spent the additional weeks conducting further simulator training to prepare for the mission.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was chosen by NASA alongside SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to ferry its astronauts to and from the International Space Station in 2014.
Yet Starliner, which has already flown twice without crew, has faced a number of unfortunate hurdles in the 10 years since.
The capsule suffered several problems on its first mission in December 2019, running into software and communication issues despite being able to safely make it to the ISS and back.
Boeing footed the bill for a second OFT mission in 2022, where it finally met all the flight goals.
Failure to launch the $1.5bn (£1.1bn) spacecraft would be a symbolic make-or-break moment for one of the world’s biggest aerospace manufacturers.
Starliner was created in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, which is aimed at making space flights commercially available.
The goal is to be able to frequently ferry people and cargo back and forth from Earth.
Timeline of Boeing’s recent safety failures
A string of serious malfunctions in Boeing’s planes have marred the aerospace giant’s reputation in recent months.
5 January – An Alaska Airlines flight 1282 was forced to make an emergency landing after a window was ripped out mid-flight.
24 January – A Delta flight at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost its front tyre during takeoff.
23 February – Three passengers from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 filed another lawsuit against the airline and Boeing, seeking $1billion in damages.
28 February – US watchdog the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) tells Boeing it must submit a plan to fix “systemic quality-control issues” after independent review flags safety concerns.
Boeing said it was “totally committed to meeting this challenge”.
13 March – A Boeing 777 is spotted leaking hydraulic fluid during the takeoff for a United Airlines flight from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco, California.
19 March – The windscreen on a Boeing 737 cracks as an Alaskan Airlines flight makes its landing.
19 May – Safety fears sparked again as The Sun reveals metal panel belonging to a Boeing 737 was found in a field near East Midlands Airport, UK.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
