WASHINGTON — A year after the launch of a flawed crewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, NASA has yet to determine the next mission for the spacecraft with mixed signals about the vehicle’s future.
In April, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said NASA had not yet decided if the next Starliner mission would be crewed.
“NASA astronauts are training for a Starliner post-certification mission as the agency continues to review its forward plans and execute testing campaigns targeted throughout the spring and summer.
“I think some of the challenges we’ve had with Starliner have overshadowed our space portfolio,” he said, contrasting Starliner with the company’s work in national security space.
He indicated the future of Starliner and other Boeing space programs will depend on the outcome of budget debates in Congress in the months to come.
WASHINGTON—A year after Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner launched a problematic crewed test flight, NASA has not yet announced the spacecraft’s next mission, sending conflicting signals about the future of the aircraft.
NASA stated in a statement on June 6 that it was still considering options for Starliner’s next flight, which is anticipated to occur no earlier than early 2026. This covers whether or not there will be crew on the subsequent flight.
In early 2026, “NASA is evaluating the earliest potential for a Starliner flight to the International Space Station, pending system certification and resolution of Starliner’s technical issues,” the agency said. The agency is currently determining whether Starliner will fly with crew or cargo on its upcoming mission. “.”.
The remarks were made one year to the day following Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) docking with the ISS. This docking occurred in spite of multiple thruster failures that temporarily raised doubts about Starliner’s ability to dock safely. NASA decided to return Starliner uncrewed in August 2024 due to thruster issues and helium leaks discovered during flight. As a result, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams had to stay on the station until returning on a Crew Dragon in March.
NASA’s most recent statement is comparable to what the agency said following Wilmore and Williams’ March return. NASA wants to test modifications to Starliner with a test flight, with or without astronauts on board, before launching Starliner-1, the first crew rotation mission, according to Steve Stich, the agency’s commercial crew program manager.
NASA stated at the time that it was doubtful the test flight would begin before the end of this year, citing the schedule of visiting vehicles to the International Space Station. In March, NASA also said that because Starliner’s thrusters would be tested during the summer, it anticipated that reviews of issues with those thrusters would be open for a large portion of the year. Stich stated in a statement on March 27 that the next Starliner flight is probably going to take place either late this year or early next year.
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel of NASA stated in April that the agency had not yet determined whether or not to crew the upcoming Starliner mission. According to the panel, the thruster testing results would probably determine that choice.
As the agency continues to assess its forward plans and carry out testing campaigns aimed at the spring and summer, NASA astronauts are preparing for a Starliner post-certification mission. In its most recent statement on Starliner, NASA stated that the agency has not yet assigned a complete Starliner-1 crew for targeted training.
For the past five years, NASA has depended on SpaceX to transport its crew, but it has maintained that it needs two operational commercial crew vehicles as a backup in case one of them has an issue. In a brief threat to “decommission” Dragon on June 5, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk brought attention to the significance of that redundancy during a disagreement with President Trump. The threat, which may never have been serious, was swiftly withdrawn by Musk, but it did highlight how dependent NASA is on SpaceX to transport people to the International Space Station.
However, NASA may have to abandon Starliner due to financial constraints. The agency’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which was made public on May 30, reduces operating and transportation budgets for the ISS by roughly 25%. The budget document said, “The budget will limit future vehicle changes and could impact NASA’s ability to maintain two crew transportation providers.”.
In the face of industry speculation that the company may abandon Starliner after accruing $2 billion in charges against earnings over the program’s duration, Boeing has not disclosed many details about its plans for the project. Since the conclusion of the CFT mission last summer, when officials refused to attend NASA briefings regarding the spacecraft’s return, Boeing executives have not made many firm statements regarding Starliner.
Kelly Ortberg, who became CEO of Boeing last August while the drama surrounding the CFT mission was still unfolding, implied that the program was burdening the company’s space operations in an interview with Aviation Week that was published on May 29.
He compared Starliner to the company’s work in national security space, saying, “I think some of the challenges we’ve had with Starliner have overshadowed our space portfolio.”.
He said the outcome of the upcoming congressional budget debates will determine the future of Starliner and other Boeing space programs. “I believe that the nation’s desire to invest in those programs and where the budget goes will determine the manned space, commercial, and NASA businesses. “.”.
