Preparations for Boeing’s Starliner launch are on pause as NASA and the company continue to work through two issues affecting the spacecraft’s parachute system and tape used on internal wiring, a NASA official said Tuesday.
The NASA and Boeing teams are working through technical issues on the Starliner vehicle before they can gather and contemplate a target launch date, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said at a media briefing to discuss SpaceX’s upcoming seventh mission to the International Space Station.
A second issue involves some joints on the parachutes used to slow the Starliner on its re-entry into the atmosphere. As recently as late May, the Starliner’s first test flight with astronauts had been set for mid-July.
“We’re taking a look at all aspects of flight preparations,” Stich said, describing the program as “on pause” after the teams “decided to take a step back” from preparing for the Starliner launch. He said NASA isn’t ready to determine a new launch date for the test flight, which will carry astronaut test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station.
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