The first space flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is preparing to launch on June 1, after several delays, without repairing a helium leak that occurred in the spacecraft, the American company and NASA announced on Friday.
The launch of this mission to the International Space Station, which has been postponed several times, is a very important step for Boeing and has been awaited for years.
The launch was scrubbed at the last minute on May 6 - while the two astronauts making up the crew were inside the vehicle in position for liftoff - because of a problem with the rocket's valve, which was later repaired.
NASA then announced that it had detected a "small helium leak" in the vehicle. Boeing explained that helium is used in the vehicle's propulsion system and said it was working with NASA to fix the problem.
But officials told reporters that Boeing and NASA had made the decision to launch the spacecraft without repairing it.
"We can handle this leak, even if it is 100 times larger," said Steve Stich, a senior U.S. space agency official.
He explained that the problem only affects one of the vehicle's 28 engines, adding that some flights have been made with similar leaks.
Boeing director Mark Nappi confirmed that fixing this leak would have been "somewhat complex" and would have required dismantling the vehicle.
Instead of repairing it, NASA teams will closely monitor it hours before the scheduled June 1 liftoff at 12:25 p.m. (16:25 GMT) in Florida.
Boeing is playing a big role in this final test mission, which will allow it to prove its vehicle is safe before beginning regular missions to the International Space Station - four years later than SpaceX
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