The first manned takeoff of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been postponed once more.

This mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which is so essential to Boeing and has been ready for therefore a few years, was canceled on the final minute final week, with the 2 astronauts who made up the crew already on board.

A defect was found within the Atlas V rocket’s valves, forcing it to be returned to its hangar at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was then introduced that liftoff might be tried once more on Friday 17 May.

Boeing stated in an announcement Tuesday that it had “efficiently changed” the faulty valve.

However, the corporate stated it had encountered a brand new drawback – a “small helium leak from the ship’s service module” – and that it wished to conduct “further testing.”

Helium is used within the ship’s propulsion system, and Boeing stated it was working with NASA to resolve the problem.

The goal liftoff date is at the moment May 21 at 4:43 PM Florida time (10:43 PM Belgian time).

Boeing is enjoying an enormous position on this take a look at mission, which is able to assist show that the spacecraft is secure earlier than it begins common missions to the ISS. This is 4 years behind SpaceX, which already serves as NASA’s house taxi.

The stakes are additionally excessive for the U.S. house company, which ordered the vessel from Boeing a decade in the past. Having a second car in addition to SpaceX to move American astronauts ought to enable us to be higher ready if one thing goes mistaken. This is among the capsules.