BOEING’S historic Starliner launch has been delayed a second time as a string of safety failures plague the company.
Just last week the spacecraft was rolled away from the launch pad due to a mysterious “buzzing” sound.
Starliner had initially been scheduled to take off on its first crewed commercial spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) on 7 May, until it was scrubbed in favour of a 17 May launch.
It was set to take off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from the US Space Force’s Cape Canaveral launch site.
But the spacecraft won’t be heading to the launch pad in time for Friday (17 May), after all.
Teams have detected a small helium leak in Starliner’s service module, which has delayed the launch to 21 May.
“Nasa and Boeing are developing spacecraft testing and operational solutions to address the issue,” Boeing wrote in an update.
“As a part of the testing, Boeing will bring the propulsion system up to flight pressurisation just as it does prior to launch, and then allow the helium system to vent naturally to validate existing data and strengthen flight rationale.”
The May 21 launch is scheduled for 9:43pm BST (4:43pm EDT).
The flight was going to be Starliner’s final test before doing regular service flights for Nasa and would have marked a pivotal moment for Boeing.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore, 61, and Suni Williams, 58, who were set to be on board, are still waiting for their ride to the ISS.
Failure to launch the $1.5billion spacecraft would be a symbolic make-or-break moment for one of the world’s biggest aerospace manufacturers.
A string of serious malfunctions in Boeing's planes has 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 tire 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.
The Boeing spacecraft was created in collaboration with Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program.
The program is aimed at making space flights commercial and frequently bringing people and cargo back and forth from Earth.
“For Nasa service missions to the International Space Station, it will carry up to four Nasa-sponsored crew members and time-critical scientific research,” Boeing said.
The spacecraft has already flown twice, but without crew.
However, the capsule suffered several problems on its first mission in December 2019, and only successfully met all flight goals in its second launch in May 2022.
The successful launch of Starliner will eventually be a major groundbreaking moment for Boeing and Nasa, as the US space agency searches for another ferry to the ISS.
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