NASA and Boeing announce Starliner return to crewed flight by 2028

NASA and Boeing have announced updated flight plans for the Starliner spacecraft following a high-severity incident during its initial crewed test flight in June 2024. That mission experienced thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, resulting in an uncrewed return and leaving two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station until their return via a SpaceX Dragon vehicle in March 2025.

The new roadmap begins with the ‘Starliner-1’ uncrewed mission, tentatively scheduled for December 2024 or January 2025. This mission will serve as an engineering evaluation to test improvements to the spacecraft's thermal environment, collect performance data for system certification, and identify potential risks.

Following successful testing and corrective actions, NASA aims to execute the ‘Starliner-2’ crewed mission by 2028. Additionally, NASA plans to schedule a fifth and sixth Starliner mission to the International Space Station. Future crewed launches will transition from the Atlas V rocket to the Vulcan rocket in collaboration with United Launch Alliance.