Boeing won’t be allowed ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station with its plagued Starliner spacecraft for its upcoming mission.
In a statement, NASA revealed that it agreed to modify Boeing’s existing 2014 Commercial Crew contract to have Starliner carry cargo only for its first operational flight, Starliner-1, which is tentatively scheduled for “no earlier than April 2026.”
“Following Starliner certification, and a successful Starliner-1 mission, Starliner will fly up to three crew rotations to the International Space Station,” NASA’s statement reads.
“NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year,” said NASA’s Commercial Crew manager Steve Stich in the statement. “This modification allows NASA and Boeing to focus on safely certifying the system in 2026, execute Starliner’s first crew rotation when ready, and align our ongoing flight planning for future Starliner missions based on station’s operational needs through 2030.”
It’s a damning development that comes after many years of technical issues and problems-riddled test flights. Boeing’s first uncrewed Starliner test flight in late 2019 resulted in the vehicle almost getting lost due to software problems. It never reached the ISS. A second uncrewed test flight in May 2022 didn’t fare much better. But despite thruster issues, the capsule managed to dock with the space station.
Its first crewed flight last summer was also plagued with technical issues affecting the spacecraft’s propulsion system. While NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams managed to hobble to the station, they became stuck there for far longer than anticipated after NASA deemed Starliner too dangerous for their return journey.
Boeing is over two billion dollars in the hole thanks to its much-maligned spacecraft, which has yet to complete a crew rotation mission to the ISS despite being officially announced 15 years ago and originally scheduled to become operational in 2017.
NASA’s other Commercial Crew contract with SpaceX has proven far more productive in comparison. The company’s Dragon spacecraft has successfully completed one crewed test flight and ten crew rotation missions to the ISS since 2019.
In fact, a Dragon spacecraft delivered Wilmore and Williams back to the surface of the Earth in March after NASA decided against risking the journey on Starliner.
Where that leaves Boeing’s plagued space efforts remains to be seen. NASA is aiming to decommission the space station around 2030, meaning that even if Boeing does get Starliner working reliably, it soon won’t have anywhere to go.
As Ars Technica points out, Boeing has been notably quiet about the changes it has made to its propulsion system. Identifying issues likely proved to be a major uphill battle as the problems affected Starliner’s service module — which was jettisoned and burned up in the atmosphere during its uncrewed return to Earth in September 2024.
More on Starliner: If You Thought Your Life Was a Mess, Spare a Thought for Boeing’s Massively Failed Starliner Spacecraft
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