This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: NASA announced Monday that it is planning new missions using Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, the first since a troubled test flight left two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station for months. Starliner was last used in June 2024 to transport U.S. astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS for a mission originally planned to last eight to 14 days.
But the spacecraft's propulsion system had problems in orbit, and Starliner was deemed unfit to fly them back—leaving them at the orbiting outpost for nine months before they could return. In a report assessing the test flight, NASA blamed engineering vulnerabilities in Starliner and classified the flight as a "Type A" mishap—the same classification as the deadly Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. Boeing and NASA have worked to fix the issues ahead of two planned missions involving the spacecraft, which plays a key role in the U.S. space agency's long-term goals.
The first mission, expected no earlier than December, will be uncrewed and return to the ISS "to validate the recent remediation effort," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters Monday. "From there, we will gather data, continue implementing the remaining changes recommended in the (Program Investigation Team) report, and plan for a crewed Starliner Two mission in 2028," he added. A successful crewed Starliner mission is essential because rival SpaceX has said it plans to end production of its reusable Crew Dragon capsules, the only other spacecraft to take U.S. astronauts to the ISS since 2020.
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