NASA, Boeing, and ULA Postpone Boeing CFT Again Due To Spacecraft Helium Leak

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have announced another delay in the planned launch of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) as they address final preparations and a "minor" helium leak.

The mission, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), is now scheduled for no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 25.

The delay allows teams to thoroughly assess and address a small helium leak detected in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s service module. The leak, located at a flange on a single reaction control system thruster, was discovered during pressure testing of the spacecraft's helium system on May 15. Subsequent tests confirmed that the leak is stable and poses no risk at the current level during flight. Additionally, the testing confirmed that the rest of the thruster system is properly sealed throughout the service module.

Boeing teams are currently developing operational procedures to ensure the helium system maintains sufficient performance and redundancy throughout the mission.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the International Space Station Program are taking extra time to review the data and the new procedures to make a final determination before initiating the flight countdown.

The ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing’s Starliner remain secured in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The decision to delay reflects a shared commitment to safety and mission success among NASA, Boeing, and ULA.

As prelaunch operations continue, astronauts Wilmore and Williams remain in quarantine in Houston. They will travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida closer to the rescheduled launch date.

This mission marks the first crewed flight of the Starliner to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The astronauts will spend approximately one week aboard the ISS before returning to Earth, where they will land using parachutes and airbags in the southwestern United States.

Upon successful completion of this mission, NASA will proceed with the final certification of the Starliner spacecraft and its systems for regular crew rotation missions to the ISS, further enhancing the agency's ability to maintain a continuous human presence in low Earth orbit.