Boeing and NASA are moving forward with the launch of the company's Starliner capsule, set to carry U.S. astronauts for the first time, despite a "stable" leak in the spacecraft's propulsion system.
"We are comfortable with the causes that we've identified for this specific leak," Boeing Vice President and manager of the company's Commercial Crew program, Mark Nappi, said during a press conference on Friday.
"We know we can manage this [leak], so this is really not a safety of flight issue," Nappi added.
Boeing is now targeting June 1 for the first crewed launch of its spacecraft, with backup opportunities on June 2, June 5 and June 6.
To date, Boeing has eaten $1.5 billion in costs due to Starliner setbacks, in addition to nearly $5 billion of NASA development funds.
Persons:
Mark Nappi, Nappi
Organizations:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Boeing's, NASA's Boeing, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Boeing, International Space
Locations:
Florida