{
  "id": 10573840,
  "title": "NASA announces new missions for Boeing Starliner spacecraft",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/nasa-announces-new-missions-for-boeing-starliner-spacecraft-10573840",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-29T00:11:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/nasa-announces-new-missions-for-boeing-starliner-spacecraft-1.500691410"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA announced plans for new missions utilizing Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, following a failed test flight that left astronauts stranded at the International Space Station for months. The Starliner had its final launch in June 2024, transporting US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS for an eight-to-14-day mission. However, issues with the spacecraft's propulsion during orbit rendered it unsuitable for returning the astronauts, leaving them stranded for nine months before they could be safely returned.\n\nFollowing an assessment of the troubled test flight, NASA cited engineering vulnerabilities as a \"Type A\" mishap, similar in severity to the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. Despite these challenges, Boeing and NASA are working to rectify the issues ahead of two upcoming missions involving the Starliner. The first mission is expected to take place no later than December, serving as an uncrewed test to validate recent remediation efforts. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that this mission is crucial for gathering data and implementing remaining changes recommended in the Program Investigation Team report. Subsequently, a crewed Starliner mission is planned for 2028. The success of this mission is particularly vital given that rival SpaceX has indicated plans to cease production of its reusable Crew Dragon capsules, which have been the sole other spacecraft transporting US astronauts to the ISS since 2020.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Scientific American",
        "title": "NASA to attempt uncrewed and crewed missions with Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nasa-to-attempt-uncrewed-and-crewed-missions-with-boeings-troubled",
        "published": "2026-09-28T19:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "NASA ramps up support to get Boeing’s astronaut capsule flying after Butch and Suni fiasco",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nasa-ramps-up-support-to-get-boeings-astronaut-capsule-flying-after",
        "published": "2026-09-28T21:05:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "NASA Announces New Missions For Boeing Starliner Spacecraft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nasa-announces-new-missions-for-boeing-starliner-spacecraft-10553524",
        "published": "2026-09-28T22:12:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica",
        "title": "Boeing \"incredibly excited\" to serve as nation's only astronaut transportation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/boeing-incredibly-excited-to-serve-as-nations-only-astronaut",
        "published": "2026-09-28T22:24:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "NASA announces new missions for Boeing Starliner spacecraft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nasa-announces-new-missions-for-boeing-starliner-spacecraft",
        "published": "2026-09-28T22:27:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fortune",
        "title": "NASA will try again with Boeing’s space capsule after an earlier mission was so botched it was reclassified as a crew-endangering ‘Type A mishap’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nasa-will-try-again-with-boeings-space-capsule-after-an-earlier",
        "published": "2026-09-28T23:03:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Nasa announces new missions for Boeing Starliner spacecraft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/nasa-announces-new-missions-for-boeing-starliner-spacecraft",
        "published": "2026-09-29T00:03:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}