Boeing counts down again to its first astronaut launch on a long-delayed test flight for NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing took another crack Saturday at launching astronauts for the first time aboard its new space capsule, after a delay for leak checks and rocket repairs.

The company’s Starliner capsule was due to rocket away at midday with a pair of test pilots to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay.

The test drive should have happened years ago. But problems kept piling up, most recently a leak that went unnoticed until the first launch attempt with a crew in early May.

NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts for four years.

United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket is providing the lift from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams share a laugh as they leave the operations and checkout building for a trip to launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The two astronauts are scheduled to liftoff later today on the Boeing Starliner capsule for a trip to the international space station. . (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Boeing's Starliner capsule, atop an Atlas V rocket, sits on the launch pad during sunrise at Space Launch Complex 41 Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard the rocket to the International Space Station, scheduled for liftoff later Saturday. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boeing's Starliner capsule, atop an Atlas V rocket, sits on the launch pad during sunrise at Space Launch Complex 41 Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard the rocket to the International Space Station, scheduled for liftoff later Saturday. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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