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NASA plans new Boeing Starliner missions

Agence France-Presse · Sep 29, 2026, 11:29 PM

BOEING’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station in May 2022 as part of its Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission. — Photograph courtesy of NASA

The first mission, expected no earlier than December, will be uncrewed and travel to the ISS to test fixes made to the spacecraft.

“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,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.

Starliner last flew in June 2024, carrying astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS for what was initially expected to be an eight-to-14-day mission.

Problems with the spacecraft’s propulsion system prompted NASA to rule out using Starliner for their return, extending their stay to nine months.

NASA later classified the test flight as a “Type A” mishap after identifying engineering vulnerabilities in the spacecraft.