Boeing's Starliner spacecraft experiences helium leaks before docking with space station

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, currently on its first manned test flight to the International Space Station, is experiencing helium leaks ahead of docking on Thursday afternoon.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 a.m. on Wednesday. NASA astronauts Suni Williams (58) and Barry “Butch” Wilmore (61) were on board.

“Teams have identified three helium leaks on the spacecraft,” NASA's Johnson Space Center tweeted nearly 12 hours after launch. “One of these was discussed pre-flight along with a management plan. The other two are new since the spacecraft reached orbit. Two of the affected helium valves have been closed and the spacecraft remains stable.”

Despite the leaks, Starliner is “still on track for a docking on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET,” the ISS's X-Account said. NASA and Boeing teams are “meeting to review data ahead of rendezvous and docking operations at the orbital station.”

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Boeing's Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 during NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test on June 5, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

After docking, Wilmore and Williams will stay at the ISS for about a week and “test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA works to complete final certification of the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program,” NASA said.

Wednesday's launch was the third attempt in just under a month to bring the space probe safely into the atmosphere.

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The Boeing and NASA mission sent two astronauts to the International Space Station. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The second attempt to launch Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was aborted on Saturday less than four minutes before liftoff. Kennedy Space Center This was because a ground system computer triggered an automatic abort command that ended the launch sequence.

The first launch attempt took place on May 6. However, NASA, Boeing and ULA thwarted the attempt “due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the second Centaur stage of the Atlas V rocket,” according to a report on the launch attempt.

Butch Wilmore (left), NASA Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander, and pilot Suni Williams depart the Operations and Checkout Building in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 5, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Since the space shuttles were retired, NASA has partnered with Boeing and SpaceX to send astronauts into space. Wednesday's launch was Boeing's first successful manned mission, while SpaceX has been sending astronauts into space since 2020.

“Boeing's Starliner marks a new chapter in American exploration,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “Human spaceflight is a bold endeavor – but that's why it's worth it. These are exciting times for NASA, our commercial partners and the future of exploration. Go Starliner, Go Butch and Suni!”