Boeing's Starliner launch to the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed until May 21 due to propulsion problems.
According to Ukrinform, Reuters reports this with reference to Boeing's statement.
It is noted that the launch of the Starliner ship was last postponed to Friday, May 17, due to a technical problem with the Atlas-V launch vehicle.
Boeing said in a statement that a new technical problem has led to another postponement of the Starliner launch until at least next Tuesday.
«The Starliner team are working to fix a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft's service module,&rdash; the company said.
It added that engineers traced the leak to a component on one of the ship's 28 propulsion control engines, which are used to maneuver in Earth orbit.
Representatives of the US National Administration of Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) together with Boeing will conduct tests and try to eliminate the helium leak before the next possible Starliner launch on May 21 at 20:43 GMT (23:43 Kyiv time).
Helium is used on spacecraft to create fuel pressure that powers the Starliner engines for orbital maneuvering.