After months of missed deadlines, NASA shared the most concrete timeline yet for Boeing’s beleaguered spacecraft. And it looks like Starliner may finally have a chance to redeem itself as a viable option for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as SpaceX’s Dragon nears retirement. During a press conference on Monday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed that the next Starliner flight will not take place before December. If all goes well with the uncrewed mission, the spacecraft will get the green light to transport a crew to the ISS in mid-2028. “We have worked closely with Boeing to address issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to return this vehicle to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations,” Isaacman said. A Tainted History The Starliner saga began unfolding more than two years ago with the spacecraft’s first manned test flight to the ISS. On June 5, 2024, Starliner launched NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS when five of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed, forcing the crew to perform manual piloting. Starliner also developed five helium leaks, one of which had been identified before launch. NASA deemed the spacecraft unfit to transport astronauts home and instead returned its crew aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Starliner then returned uncrewed in September 2024. Since then, Boeing has been working to fix the spacecraft’s technical issues in hopes of getting its troubled program back on track. Earlier this year, NASA officials said teams had made great progress in repairing helium leaks and testing boosters that malfunctioned during the last Starliner mission. At the time, NASA was hopeful that Starliner would fly again in April for an uncrewed mission. Later in July, Boeing executives suggested that most of the work being done to fix Starliner’s technical problems was complete. Running out of options NASA’s recent update on Starliner comes shortly after SpaceX halted production of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon capsule is currently the only operational American vehicle NASA can use to transport its astronauts to low-Earth orbit, but SpaceX intends to retire the spacecraft by 2030. “I don’t think it’s a secret that SpaceX intends to shut down older platforms like Falcon and Dragon while they focus on their next-generation capability, Starship,” Isaacman said Monday. “Given our extensive history with Starliner and the taxpayer investment already made, we believe it represents the fastest path to preserving reliable manned access to low-Earth orbit.” NASA was nearing the end of its contract with SpaceX when it awarded the company a $946 million contract to fly three more crewed missions to the ISS with Crew Dragon through 2030. The agency appears hell-bent on putting Boeing’s spacecraft to work, creating a second transportation option for its astronauts. That persistence has already cost the agency. NASA classified the Starliner test flight as a Type A mishap, stating that the agency’s overall goal of having multiple crew transportation systems influenced engineering and operational decisions during the mission. The next Starliner flight will serve as an engineering evaluation mission to verify changes made to the spacecraft before the crew is strapped on. “With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our top priority, we will test Starliner’s propulsion system through specific demonstration objectives and disciplined operational controls,” Dana Weigel, NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program manager, said Monday. “These steps are essential to validate Starliner’s thermal performance, which is a key element for certification.”
