NASA reports that Sunita Williams’ piloted Starliner’s first manned space mission has been rescheduled until June

The maiden crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, led by Indian-origin Sunita Williams, to the International Space Station (ISS), is now scheduled for June 1, according to a NASA announcement made on Thursday.

The space agency stated in a statement that mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are still assessing a course of action for launching the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station (ISS).

The teams are now aiming for a Saturday, June 1, launch chance at 12:25 p.m. ET. There will be other launch possibilities on June 2, June 5, and June 6.

The Starliner spacecraft’s first human-carrying journey to space was originally scheduled for May 7, but it was repeatedly delayed due to a helium leak on the service module.

As part of a last test before the US space agency can certify the Starliner for normal voyages to and from the International Space Station, Boeing’s Staliner spacecraft is intended to carry NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams to the ISS.

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch the Starliner spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida using an Atlas 5 rocket.

Before returning to Earth in the Western United States, the pair will spend around two weeks docked at the orbiting laboratory to assess the new ship and its equipment.

Steve Stich, manager of the NASA Commercial Crew Program, stated, “The joint NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams have performed a great deal of exceptional analysis and testing over the last two weeks to replace the Centaur self-regulating valve and troubleshoot the Starliner Service Module helium manifold leak.”

He stated in a statement released by the US space agency, “It has been critical that we take our time to understand all the complexity of each problem, including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and any ramifications to our Interim Human Rating Certification.

“We will launch Butch and Suni on this test mission after the entire community has reviewed the teams’ progress and flight rationale at the upcoming Delta Agency Flight Test Readiness Review,” he said.

Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams are still training in Starliner simulators, and the crew that is still under quarantine will return to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the near future, according to the space agency.

Due to a valve issue in the upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket, mission management of the Boeing Starliner’s Crewed Test Flight (CFT) canceled the mission on May 7, barely two hours before the planned launch. According to a statement from Boeing, the valve was successfully replaced on May 11 and put through tests to ensure it was operating as intended.

NASA later on May 14 reported that a “small helium leak” in the spacecraft’s service module was the reason for the postponement of the CFT mission, which was originally slated for May 17 to May 21 at the latest.

The space agency said on May 17 that the launch date has been postponed again to May 25.

As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which collaborates with the US aerospace industry via a public-private partnership to launch people on US rockets and spacecraft from US land, the voyage is Boeing’s first Starliner spacecraft mission with a human crew.

In September 2014, NASA decided to send crews from the United States to the International Space Station using Boeing and SpaceX. In order to optimize the amount of time spent doing scientific studies in the orbiting laboratory, NASA missions using this integrated spacecraft, rockets, and related equipment will be able to accommodate up to four humans, keeping the space station crew of seven.

Following an unsuccessful attempt in December 2019, Boeing successfully completed the unmanned Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) in 2022. The aerospace industry claims that the Starliner should be reusable for up to 10 voyages in a six-month period.

Twelve crewed flights have been completed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company’s Crew Dragon since its first launch on May 30, 2020.

For the development of the Starliner, the US government gave Boeing about USD 4 billion in funding, while SpaceX got over USD 2.6 billion.