NASA says Boeing’s crewed capsule is safe to fly even with a minor leak Science and health

After nearly three weeks of extensive testing and data analysis, NASA researchers said they are confident that Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule, whose launch has been repeatedly delayed, can be launched “as is” on June 1. According to them, a small helium gas leak in the ship’s propulsion system does not pose a safety risk to the flight. Information is from CBS News.

Delaying the launch by about a month was necessary to allow detailed analysis of the leak. Starliner will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 1. If all goes well, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams will dock with the International Space Station the next day and return to Earth on June 10.

Boeing and NASA conducted a detailed investigation of a small helium leak in one of the Starliner’s four propulsion modules, which emerged after the May 6 countdown was canceled due to problems with an oxygen decompression valve.