NASA in talks for Boeing’s Starliner to handle new missions, WSJ reports

NASA is engaged in discussions with Boeing regarding the potential use of the company's Starliner spacecraft for additional missions, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. Sources familiar with the situation indicate that the talks could involve Starliner conducting 10 or more flights over the coming years. Neither the aerospace manufacturer nor NASA have yet commented on the matter.

This development suggests that NASA remains committed to keeping Boeing as a reliable second US crew transportation provider alongside SpaceX, despite the troubled crewed test mission of Starliner two years ago. In 2014, NASA selected both Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to the space station, aiming to provide the US with a domestic launch capability following the retirement of the space shuttle and its reliance on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.

NASA is currently developing plans to meet the nation's objectives for a sustained presence in low Earth orbit, with a spokesperson indicating that detailed plans are expected to be released soon. Earlier in the day, NASA had awarded SpaceX a $946 million contract to fly three additional astronaut missions to the International Space Station, extending the company's crewed flights through 2030.