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Boeing crewed spaceflight for NASA delayed again in another setback

The company said recently discovered problems with the spacecraft’s parachute system and its wiring had forced the postponement

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Updated June 1, 2023 at 6:54 p.m. EDT|Published June 1, 2023 at 6:35 p.m. EDT
Boeing's Starliner on the launchpad in Florida. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
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Boeing’s first flight with astronauts on its Starliner spacecraft is going to be delayed yet again, this time due to ongoing issues with the design of the capsule’s parachute system and tape inside the spacecraft that the company recently discovered was flammable, Boeing and NASA said Thursday.

The announcement is the latest setback for a beleaguered program that has suffered years of technical problems — stuck valves, a fuel leak and serious software malfunctions — that have delayed its first crewed flight by years, sent its costs soaring and harmed its reputation as a premier space-faring company.