Boeing targets Starliner's uncrewed return in December, crewed flight in 2028
NASA and Boeing set Starliner's uncrewed test for no earlier than December, crewed ISS flight targeted for mid-2028.
updates
- 2026-10-02NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman puts a $359 million price tag on the Starliner thruster fixes and Vulcan Centaur's human-rating certification.
what happened
NASA and Boeing announced Monday that Starliner will fly an uncrewed test mission no earlier than December, with a crewed follow-up to the ISS targeted for mid-2028 commanded by NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, per Payload. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said engineers traced the service module's helium leak to seal material and tolerances, which have been replaced, and traced thruster anomalies to internal valve corrosion, adding new controls to flush and purge the thrusters between operations, alongside thermal modifications to the service module to reduce thruster temperatures, per Payload. Starliner will also need a new launch vehicle since United Launch Alliance is retiring the Atlas V it has flown on; NASA is working with Boeing and ULA to certify Vulcan Centaur for crewed flight, per Scientific American. Isaacman said the thruster fixes and Vulcan's human-rating certification will together cost NASA about $359 million, per Central Florida Public Media.
why it matters
Starliner has flown zero operational Commercial Crew rotations since its 2024 crewed test stranded two astronauts on the ISS for nine months; a firm return-to-flight schedule, plus the switch to an uncertified Vulcan Centaur, sets the pace at which NASA gets a second US crew provider alongside SpaceX's Dragon, which currently flies every ISS crew rotation alone.
for who
NASA Commercial Crew program managers and ISS crew-rotation planners