Boeing and NASA are forging ahead with their plans to launch the Starliner capsule on June 1, despite the presence of a "stable" leak in the spacecraft's propulsion system. This highly anticipated mission marks the first time the Starliner will carry U.S. astronauts.

During a press conference on Friday, Mark Nappi, Boeing Vice President and manager of the company's Commercial Crew program, expressed confidence in managing the identified leak, stating, "We are comfortable with the causes that we've identified for this specific leak. We know we can manage this, so this is really not a safety of flight issue."

The Starliner Crew Flight Test, set to take place on June 1, serves as the final major development test of the capsule. It will transport a pair of NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station before executing routine missions.

Despite its significance, the Starliner's crew debut has experienced significant delays, with SpaceX's Dragon capsule regularly transporting NASA astronauts since 2020 as part of the agency's Commercial Crew program. Boeing has incurred costs amounting to $1.5 billion due to setbacks in the Starliner development, in addition to nearly $5 billion of NASA development funds.

The previous launch attempt on May 6 was called off due to an issue detected with the Atlas V rocket, which is responsible for lifting the Starliner into orbit. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, builds and operates the Atlas V rocket. Following the postponement, a "small" helium leak was discovered in the Starliner, prompting NASA and Boeing to conduct further assessments of the spacecraft's safety.

After careful analysis, NASA and Boeing have determined that the source of the leak is a seal in one of the flanges of the spacecraft's helium propulsion system. Steve Stich, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager, explained that the leak rate has remained stable during testing and the plan is to closely monitor it leading up to the launch. Once the Starliner reaches the International Space Station, the leak rate will be reassessed.

Stich emphasized that NASA has successfully flown vehicles with small helium leaks in the past, including missions carried out by the Space Shuttle and SpaceX's Dragon. As a result, he expressed confidence in the integrity of the remaining seals, stating, "We don't expect the other seals to leak, and I think that's a confidence that we have."

NASA, Boeing, and ULA are scheduled to conduct a review on May 29 to assess the status of the leak. If all goes well, the rocket and capsule will be rolled out to the launch pad on May 30 in preparation for the June 1 launch attempt.