Boeing's Starliner problems delay next NASA astronaut mission

WASHINGTON (WAM)

NASA said on Tuesday it pushed a routine SpaceX launch of astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) back a month to spend more time analysing issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which remains docked at the station, Reuters reported.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft was initially scheduled to launch four astronauts to the ISS on August 18, but NASA said that mission, named Crew-9, is now planned for "no earlier than" September 24.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June launched its first two astronauts to the ISS as a high-stakes test mission required before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut flights, a milestone that SpaceX's similar Crew Dragon capsule achieved in 2020.

But Starliner's test mission, initially expected to last about eight days, has been drawn out far longer by an array of problems with the craft's propulsion system that Boeing and NASA have been scrambling to fix.

NASA has been examining whether a Crew Dragon capsule will have to bring the crew home instead.