NASA plans unpiloted Starliner test flight at end of year

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, seen in the company’s Kennedy Space Center hangar in July. Image: Boeing NASA is working with Boeing to launch an unpiloted Starliner capsule in the December-January time frame to test upgrades and improvements ordered in the wake of a 2024 mission that suffered multiple propulsion system failures, stranding two astronauts on the space station for more than nine months. If the unpiloted test flight goes well, NASA and Boeing hope to launch a piloted Starliner flight in mid 2028, officials said Monday, incorporating redesigned propulsion system valves, more robust subsystems and other modifications expected to prevent the sort of failures that occurred in 2024. Veteran astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg will command the mission, joined by other crew members to be named later. NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, the newly named commander of the Starliner-2 mission, talks about the work done by NASA and Boeing in preparation for the upcoming uncrewed flight of the next CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is the only currently operational U.S. astronaut ferry ship. NASA wants to bring Boeing back into the mix as soon as possible to ensure a sustained U.S. capability to carry astronauts and researchers to the International Space Station through its planned retirement in 2030. Equally important, NASA managers want to make sure an American spacecraft will be available to support flights to commercial space stations later in the 2030s, after SpaceX phases out its Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon spacecraft. “It’s always been the Commercial Crew Program’s goal to have two crew transportation providers to ensure commercial access to low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s low-Earth orbit operations. “As SpaceX has publicly stated, the Dragon and the Falcon won’t be around forever. Certifying Boeing’s Starliner is important for both supporting ISS and also for follow-on future commercial destinations.” Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program, describes the work done by NASA and Boeing in preparation for the upcoming uncrewed flight of the next CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Said Boeing in a post on the social media platform X: “Together with @NASA, we’re making Starliner hardware enhancements and adding resources for human spaceflight certification. These changes support the spacecraft as a long-term provider of crewed missions to low Earth orbit.” Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, both now retired from NASA, blasted off aboard a Starliner on June 5, 2024, for what was billed as a 10-day test flight to the International Space Station. It was the first piloted launch of a Starliner after two uncrewed test flights, both of which had problems. Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams blast off on the Starliner’s first, and so far only, piloted spaceflight in June 2024. Problems with the Starliner forced the crew to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule 286 days after launch. Image: NASA During their rendezvous with the space station, Wilmore and Williams ran into multiple propulsion system helium leaks and thruster failures. They were able to dock, but their return to Earth was repeatedly delayed while NASA and Boeing worked to resolve the technical issues. An independent review board later classified the propulsion mishaps as a “close call” that put the astronauts in jeopardy. When all was said and done, the Starliner returned to Earth without its crew three months after launch. Wilmore and Williams stayed an additional six months aboard the station in order to hitch a ride home aboard a Crew Dragon on March 18, 2025. All told, the 10-day flight they expected ended up lasting 286 days. The Crew Flight Test Starliner, seen after return to Earth without its crew. The spacecraft made it back to Earth safely despite major technical issues. Image: NAS