NASA announces new missions for Boeing Starliner spacecraft

NASA announced plans for new missions using Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on Monday, marking the first since a problematic test flight left astronauts stranded at the International Space Station for months. Last used in June 2024 to transport Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS, the Starliner had propulsion system issues in orbit, leading to its deactivation for return, leaving the astronauts stranded for nine months.

NASA attributed the mishap classification to engineering vulnerabilities, similar to the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters. The agency and Boeing are working to address these issues before two upcoming missions. The first, an uncrewed flight, is scheduled no earlier than December 2026 to validate the remediation efforts; a crewed mission is targeted for 2028.

This development is crucial as SpaceX plans to cease production of its reusable Crew Dragon capsules, the only other spacecraft currently transporting U.S. astronauts to the ISS since 2020.