Boeing Starliner Now Targeting a June 1st Launch Attempt
After days of meetings, this weekend the launch team for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test are getting some much-needed rest
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And the pair of veteran astronauts who will fly the Starliner to the International Space Station will remain in pre-flight quarantine in Houston.
The first attempt to launch astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on May 6, 2024, ended with a scrub.
It was caused by a valve on the upper stage of the ULA Atlas V rocket launching the flight.
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That valve was replaced, but not before the launch team discovered a small helium leak in the Starliner’s service module.
We learned today, the spacecraft can still launch with that leak.
Teams are still completing a propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios.
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Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
After the successful completion of the flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
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