CBS News reports that engineers are confident the leak will not worsen in flight, and even if it does, the Starliner can safely launch June 1. The article cites Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, who said that “even if a suspect shirt-button-size rubber seal in the plumbing leading to one specific thruster failed completely in flight — resulting in a leak rate 100 times worse than what’s been observed to date — the Starliner could still fly safely.”
Full Story (CBS News)
Tag: helium
Starliner Crew Flight Test Delayed Further Due to Ongoing Helium Leak Review
Spaceflight Now reports that the shift in launch date is to allow more time to build in redundancy to account for the helium leak. The new target launch date is currently scheduled for “no earlier than Saturday, May 25, at 3:09 p.m. EDT .”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)