Boeing’s 1st astronaut flight bumped into next year, more repairs needed

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Already running years behind, Boeing’s first astronaut flight is now off until at least next March. Boeing said Monday that it should be done removing flammable tape from its Starliner capsule in the coming weeks. But a redesigned parachute system won’t be ready until December. If a parachute drop test goes well late this year, company officials say the spacecraft should be ready to fly to the International Space Station as early as March with two NASA astronauts. NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX nearly a decade ago to deliver astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is now three years into its taxi service.