Boeing is targeting June 1 for Starliner's first crew launch amid a helium leak probe

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA and Boeing are targeting June 1 for the first crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft as engineers investigate the cause of a helium leak and how it could affect crucial parts of the mission, the agency said on Wednesday .

The helium leak in the Starliner's propulsion system has delayed the spacecraft's first manned space mission. It was originally scheduled for May 7, but has been successively postponed as NASA and Boeing try to fix the problem and conduct new tests on the spacecraft.

The US space agency said engineers had expanded their investigation into the leak, which was traced to a valve component on a single engine, to include the Starliner's propulsion system and the possible impact of the spacecraft's helium system on it.

Starliner's helium system is used to increase pressure on the fuel that powers the onboard engines that maneuver the spacecraft in orbit.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, designed to carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), has been delayed for years and is more than $1.5 billion over budget. Persistent challenges in Starliner development have highlighted Boeing's difficulty competing with Elon Musk's SpaceX on tighter budgets.

Starliner's first crewed flight will include NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. The mission is a final test before NASA can certify Starliner for routine flights to and from the ISS.

The space agency said Boeing has additional launch opportunities on June 2, 5 and 6 if the June 1 window is missed.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)