The world will have to wait at least another week before the highly anticipated first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The launch was expected on May 17 after a previous delay, but teams found a small helium leak in the service module of the spacecraft, according to a release from Boeing. Starliner teams traced the leak to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster, where helium is used to allow the thrusters to fire. “The teams now are targeting a launch date of no earlier than 4:43 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21, to complete additional testing,” the release said. This mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, could be the final major milestone before NASA deems Boeing’s spacecraft ready for routine operations as part of the federal agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Related article Officials describe telltale ‘buzz’ that led to last-minute scrub of Boeing Starliner’s crewed launch…
