The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a further delay in the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch, which was initially scheduled for May 20th, has now been pushed back to June 1st, 2023. This is the third delay for the mission, which was originally set to take astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS for a week-long visit.
In a statement released by NASA, the agency said that the teams are now working toward a launch opportunity at 12:25pm ET on Saturday, June 1st, with additional opportunities on Sunday, June 2nd, Wednesday, June 5th, and Thursday, June 6th.
The postponements come as the Starliner program faces years of delays and at a challenging time in general for Boeing, which is separately facing safety questions around its commercial aviation arm. For NASA, the success of the Starliner mission is pivotal in certifying a second commercial vehicle for ferrying crews to the International Space Station. SpaceX, under Elon Musk’s leadership, achieved this milestone back in 2020 with its Dragon capsule, effectively breaking nearly a decade-long reliance on Russian rockets post the Space Shuttle program’s conclusion.
