Following several delays, mishaps, and a stranded crew, Boeing’s Starliner saga is not over just yet. NASA is revising its commercial crew contract with Boeing, reducing the number of Starliner missions to the International Space Station (ISS) pending rigorous testing to prove the spacecraft can get the job done.
This week, NASA announced the modification to its 2014 contract with Boeing, reducing the number of Starliner missions to four instead of six, with the remaining two available as options. The agency also revealed that the next Starliner mission will have no crew on board but will instead be used to deliver cargo to the ISS and “allow in-flight validation of the system upgrades implemented following the Crew Flight Test mission last year,” NASA wrote. The mission, named Starliner-1, is scheduled for no earlier than April 2026 pending spacecraft certification and other mission readiness activities.
“NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in a 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.”
Try and try again
On June 5, 2024, Starliner launched NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams to the ISS for its first crewed mission. On its way to the space station, five of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed, and it developed five helium leaks, one of which was identified prior to liftoff. NASA deemed the spacecraft unfit to carry the astronauts back home and returned its crew on board SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft instead. An empty Starliner undocked from the ISS and returned to Earth later in September.
Under its original $4.5 billion contract with NASA, Boeing was set to deliver six crewed missions to the ISS. Following a crewed test flight, the agency was hoping Starliner could begin operations by early 2025. Its flawed mission, however, meant that the spacecraft would not launch again before Boeing implemented some changes to avoid another malfunction.
Instead of using Starliner, NASA was forced to turn to SpaceX to launch its Crew-10 and Crew-11 missions earlier this year, as well as the upcoming Crew-12 mission slated for February 2026. NASA was eager to have another commercial partner to rely on for launching its astronauts, but Boeing has thus far failed in fulfilling its end of the deal.
The ISS is due to retire by 2030, leaving little room for Boeing to deliver NASA’s astronaut crews to the space station. Still, the agency is not giving up on the Starliner program just yet. “Certification of Boeing’s Starliner remains important to NASA’s goal of sustained human presence in low Earth orbit,” NASA wrote.
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