After being sidelined, Boeing's Starliner to get starring role in NASA's spaceflight plans
NASA plans to bolster its spaceflight capabilities as it looks to a future without SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. As the sole operational spacecraft for routine astronaut missions to low-Earth orbit, Crew Dragon is set to retire by 2030, according to recent discussions between NASA and SpaceX officials. To ensure Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which has faced setbacks in the past, is safer and can continue flying post-retirement of its Atlas V rocket, NASA will take several key steps.
Multiple sources confirmed that NASA will announce plans to order two additional Starliner crewed missions from Boeing, cover some costs to address the spacecraft's thruster issues, and provide support for certifying the launch on a new rocket.
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