Boeing has delayed from April to August its test flight for its Starliner capsule, intended to carry American astronauts to the International Space Station.
The US space agency NASA blamed the delay on “limited launch opportunities” in April and May from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
It noted that the August launch target is a “working date and to be confirmed.” The Starliner spacecraft, which is in the final phase of ground tests, is set to be launched into space atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
If the unmanned test goes well, the capsule’s next flight will have three astronauts aboard — NASA’s Nicole Mann and Mike Fincke, along with Chris Ferguson of Boeing.
