On Monday, Boeing Co said it would deploy its Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of another unmanned mission, several weeks after its last flight was cut short because of a technical glitch.
A series of software errors during Boeing's December test and a problem with the automatic timer of the spacecraft resulted in the spacecraft's failure to dock at the ISS and returning back to Earth a week early.
In a statement Monday the company said it would repeat the unmanned trial flight so it can meet "all flight test targets" and completely evaluate the design of Starliner.
The decision raises more doubt as to when Starliner will be used to start bringing NASA astronauts into space, a landmark feat which has already been delayed for years.
The Washington Post, which first published the story, said the repeat flight would probably take place this fall, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Even if the test flight is successful, it is not clear how long after that Boeing will have been able to get off the ground a crewed mission.
In a statement, Boeing said they are committed to the health of the men and women who design, build and ultimately fly on the Starliner "just as we have on any manned mission into space."
Flying another unmanned space flight, Boeing added, will allow the team to complete all flight test goals and evaluate the second Starliner vehicle's performance at no cost to the taxpayer.
For the unpiloted reflight, a Boeing spokeswoman said the capsule originally planned for the first manned Starliner test flight would be used. She said Boeing is coordinating with NASA to set a timeline for the second OFT.
While specifics still need to be finalized, she said in an email that the team expect carrying out the mission in the fall this year. This would appear to rule out a manned Starliner flight in 2020, but no decisions on future launch dates have been made.
Boeing built Starliner under a variety of NASA contracts. The first of these, a $4.2 billion deal signed in 2014, includes the completion of construction work and the launch of six operating crew flights to the ISS.
SpaceX is working on its own astronaut taxi, which is called the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Elon Musk's company holds a NASA contract of $2.6 billion, also signed in 2014, to get Crew Dragon up and running and perform six flights into the orbital laboratory.
