After months of unmet timelines, NASA shared the most concrete timeline yet for Boeing\u2019s beleaguered spacecraft. And it looks like Starliner may finally get a chance to redeem itself as a viable option to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as SpaceX\u2019s Dragon approaches retirement.<\/p>\n
During a press conference on Monday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed that Starliner\u2019s next flight will take place no earlier than December. If all goes well with the uncrewed mission, the spacecraft will get the green light to shuttle a crew to the ISS in mid-2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations,\u201d Isaacman said<\/a>.<\/p>\n A tainted history <\/p>\n The Starliner saga began unfolding over two years ago with the spacecraft\u2019s first crewed test flight to the ISS. On June 5, 2024, Starliner\u00a0launched NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams<\/a> to the ISS when five of the spacecraft\u2019s thrusters\u00a0<\/a>failed<\/a>, forcing the crew to perform manual piloting. Starliner also developed\u00a0five helium leaks<\/a>, one of which had been identified prior to its launch.<\/p>\n NASA\u00a0deemed the spacecraft unfit to carry the astronauts back home<\/a>\u00a0and returned its crew\u00a0on board SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft<\/a>\u00a0instead. Starliner later returned uncrewed in September 2024<\/a>. Since then, Boeing has been working on fixing the spacecraft\u2019s technical issues in hopes to get its troubled program back on track.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, NASA officials said that\u00a0teams have made great progress<\/a> toward fixing the helium leaks and testing the thrusters that malfunctioned during Starliner\u2019s last mission. At the time, NASA was hopeful that Starliner would return to flight in April for an uncrewed mission. Later in July, Boeing executives suggested that most of the work being done to troubleshoot Starliner\u2019s technical issues<\/a> is complete.<\/p>\n Running out of options <\/p>\n NASA\u2019s recent update on Starliner comes shortly after SpaceX halted production of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon capsule is currently the only operational U.S. vehicle NASA can use to transport its astronauts to low-Earth orbit, but SpaceX is intent on retiring the spacecraft by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not think it\u2019s a secret that SpaceX intends to sunset older platforms like Falcon and Dragon as they concentrate on their next generation capability, Starship,\u201d Isaacman said Monday. \u201cGiven our extensive history with Starliner and the taxpayer investment already made, we believe it represents the fastest path to preserving reliable crewed access to low Earth orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA was nearing the end of its contract with SpaceX when it awarded the company a $946 million contract to fly three more crewed ISS missions with Crew Dragon through 2030. The agency seems hellbent on putting Boeing\u2019s spacecraft to work, creating a second transport option for its astronauts.<\/p>\n