Boeing Starliner's crew debut delayed again over spacecraft issue

A new technical issue, concerning Starliner itself, has prompted another postponement to at least next Tuesday, Boeing said in statement.

Boeing's first Starliner mission carrying humans to space was delayed to May 21 over issues with the spacecraft's propulsion system, Boeing said in a statement on Tuesday.

Starliner's mission carrying two NASA astronauts to space had been set for liftoff from Florida last week until a technical issue with the rocket prompted a delay to Friday, May 17, the latest postponement for a program years behind schedule and over $1.5 billion over budget. A new technical issue, concerning Starliner itself, has prompted another postponement to at least next Tuesday, Boeing said in statement. The issue involves a leak of helium on Starliner's propulsion system.