A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off Wednesday and safely boosted Boeing‘s long-delayed Starliner crew ferry ship into space for its first piloted test flight. But flight controllers had to step in late in the day to troubleshoot additional, unexpected helium leaks in the ship’s propulsion system.
The Starliner was launched with a small-but-persistent helium leak in a specific “manifold” — that is lines routing pressurized gas to valves that operate one specific thruster. The launch was delayed several weeks for troubleshooting, but managers concluded the spacecraft could be safely flown as is.
