NASA and Boeing Reset Starliner Timeline After Crew Test Failures

NASA and Boeing said on September 28, 2026, that they have updated their Starliner development schedule, aiming to send an unpiloted capsule to the space station in December 2026 or January 2027 and to fly a crew aboard the Starliner-2 mission in 2028.¹⁶

A troubled test flight

Starliner's Crew Flight Test in June 2024 carried astronauts Barry Eugene Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station on a mission originally expected to last eight to 14 days, according to CGTN. The spacecraft experienced propulsion problems in orbit, and the two astronauts remained aboard the station for about nine months before returning, CGTN reported.⁴

NASA classified the mishap as a Type A incident, the same category used for the Challenger and Columbia disasters, according to CGTN. A subsequent investigation by NASA's Program Investigation Team produced 61 recommendations intended to ensure future missions meet required standards, and NASA said the service module thrusters had operated outside their engineering qualification during the test flight, according to NASA.¹⁴

New flight plan

NASA said the unpiloted Starliner-1 mission is meant to function as a technical checkout flight, confirming that heat-related conditions inside the service module have improved and gathering data needed for certification before astronauts fly again, according to NASA and NASASpaceFlight.com. Boeing said the mission will also carry cargo to the space station.¹¹⁰⁶

Boeing said 19 of 21 in-flight anomalies identified during the Crew Flight Test have been closed, with the remaining items expected to close in October, and that eight recommendations from the investigation report already have corrective action plans in place. NASA said it has approved about 90 percent of the human spaceflight certification requirements for Starliner, according to clickorlando.com.⁶⁸

NASA and Boeing said the thruster performance issues stemmed from the thermal environment and design features of the service module. Boeing said corrective measures include replacing valves on 12 crew module reaction control system thrusters with corrosion-prevention measures, redesigning service module thruster poppets, improving the parachute joint design and integrating NASA-provided upgraded battery systems.¹⁶

NASA and Boeing modified their contract to add resources for human spaceflight certification, and Boeing said the fifth and sixth Starliner missions, previously held as options from November 2025, have been restored to the schedule. NASA said it is investing an additional $359 million to keep the program flying, a figure also cited by CNN.⁶³⁵

Return to crewed flight

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency's plan is to return astronauts to orbit on Starliner-2 by 2028. "Our current plan is to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028," he said. NASA named astronaut Woody Hoburg to command that mission, according to NASA and CNN.¹⁵

Dana Weigel, who oversees NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program, said the upcoming flight will be an important trial of the spacecraft's propulsion system. "Starliner's next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification," she said, adding, "With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our highest priority, we will test Starliner's propulsion system."¹

With the Atlas V rocket that currently launches Starliner being discontinued, NASA is partnering with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to clear the Vulcan Centaur rocket for human spaceflight, CNN reported. Boeing said Starliner-5 and Starliner-6 are planned to launch on Vulcan Centaur instead of Atlas V, a shift also reported by Space.com.⁵²⁶

John Mulholland, vice president of Boeing's Starliner program, said the company and NASA have worked to resolve issues from the crew test flight. "With safety-first as their guide, Boeing and NASA teammates worked together over the last two years to address the issues encountered during the crew flight test," he said, adding, "We're grateful for NASA's partnership, and we are confident the Starliner vehicle will be ready for flight."⁶

Wider crew transport picture

Since 2020, SpaceX's Crew Dragon has been the only other spacecraft ferrying NASA astronauts to the space station, according to CGTN. NASA awarded SpaceX $946 million on September 19 for three additional ISS astronaut missions, Space.com reported, while CGTN said SpaceX plans to end Crew Dragon production.⁴²

NASA described Wilmore and Williams, who flew on the 2024 test mission, in laudatory terms following the announcement. "Wilmore and Williams are American heroes," the agency said.⁵