Sharjah 24 – WAM: NASA and Boeing (BA.N), delayed the launch of Boeing's Starliner crew capsule again on Friday, giving them four more days to assess a helium leak before attempting to launch the spacecraft's first two astronauts into space, Reuters quoted the space agency as saying.
Starliner's liftoff from Florida has been delayed several times in May and it was last scheduled for May 21.
Aside from the helium leak, a technical issue with its Atlas 5 rocket had prompted an earlier delay. The program is several years behind schedule and more than $1.5 billion over budget.
Boeing has been developing Starliner for more than a decade to provide NASA with a second U.S. spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, built under the same NASA program, first launched astronauts to space in 2020.
For an optimal experience, please
