LOS ANGELES, May 17 (Xinhua) -- NASA and Boeing delayed again the launch of the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) to no earlier than Tuesday, May 25, the agency said on Friday.
The spacecraft was previously scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on May 6 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida.
The launch attempt was scrubbed due to technical issues. Later, the teams postponed the new launch date several times.
NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams will take additional time to work through spacecraft closeout processes and flight rationale before proceeding with the launch, according to NASA.
The additional time allows teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft's service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster.
The flight test will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. The duo are the first to launch aboard Boeing's Starliner to the space station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.
The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States, according to NASA.
After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. ■