Officials are monitoring a trio of helium leaks found on the Boeing Starliner that launched Wednesday from Florida, including two identified after the spacecraft reached orbit, NASA officials said.
One of the leaks had been identified before the spacecraft lifted off on a trip to the International Space Station, and NASA discussed a management plan to deal with it, officials said.
“Two of the affected helium valves have been closed and the spacecraft remains stable,” officials said late Wednesday on social media.
On Thursday, NASA said the Starliner crew — consisting of commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams — and ISS mission management teams “are ‘go’ to proceed with space station arrival” despite the leaks.
“The flight control team will continue to monitor the leak rates in Starliner’s propulsion system,” officials said. “After docking, all of Starliner manifolds will be closed per normal plans. All other Starliner systems …