Despite the newly discovered Starliner spacecraft leak issue, NASA and Boeing are quite confident about pushing the astronaut launch. They even said that safety would not be an issue for the flight.
Starliner Leak Update: NASA, Boeing To Push Astronaut Launch
According to NBC News' latest report, NASA and Boeing said they are moving forward with the Starliner astronaut launch. This mission is a big deal for the American aircraft manufacturer since it would be the first time its Starliner capsule will carry humans to outer space.
Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said that they are comfortable with the cause of the leak, which they already identified thanks to their investigation.
"We know we can manage this [leak], so this is really not a safety of flight issue," the Boeing official added.
Boeing and NASA are targeting June 1 for the manned Starliner launch. But, in case of issues, they have backup opportunities on June 2, June 5, and June 6.
Starliner Spacecraft Leak
The team working on the Starliner spacecraft discovered issues following a small helium leak. NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate Ken Bowersox said that what they are going through right now is complicated.
"It's so complicated. There are so many things going on. We really just needed to work through it as a team," said Bowersox via Space.Com.
They scheduled a Delta flight readiness review on Wednesday, May 29, to solve the issues. This review will monitor the leak and any changes in which the Starliner spacecraft may perform a deorbit run if needed.
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