NASA Lays Out Phased Plan to Return Starliner to Service
NASA outlines a roadmap to bring Boeing's Starliner back to space, starting with an uncrewed mission in late 2026 to ensure astronaut safety.
NASA and Boeing have officially unveiled a structured roadmap designed to bring the Starliner spacecraft back into active service. This strategic initiative follows the technical complications experienced during the mission that transported astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station.
A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Flight
The path to returning humans to the Starliner involves a cautious, phased approach to ensure maximum safety and system reliability. According to an announcement from the space agency, the recovery process will begin with a critical uncrewed mission.
Key Milestones in the Starliner Recovery
- Starliner-1 Mission: Scheduled to lift off in either December 2026 or January 2027, this uncrewed flight will serve as an engineering evaluation to validate recent technical improvements and gather essential flight data.
- Starliner-2 Mission: Following successful testing and certification, NASA aims to return astronauts to space via Starliner-2 by 2028.
- Future Operations: NASA intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth Starliner flight to support the orbital laboratory.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the uncrewed mission is vital for validating improvements. "We are starting with an uncrewed Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station to validate the improvements made to the spacecraft and gather the flight data we need," Isaacman stated. He noted that the lessons learned will drive the corrective actions required for full crewed flight certification.
Addressing Previous Technical Failures
The renewed focus on the Starliner comes after a rigorous inquiry into the spacecraft's inaugural crewed test flight in 2024. That mission concluded without its astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, due to propulsion anomalies. Investigators identified that the service-module reaction-control thrusters operated outside of engineering qualifications, caused by a complex interaction between thermal factors and system design.
To fix these vulnerabilities, Boeing and NASA have implemented several hardware and design upgrades, including:
- Thermal Adjustments: Integrated into the service module to resolve propulsion glitches.
- Redesigned Thruster Valves: Aimed at preventing poppet-seal extrusion issues.
- Hardware Upgrades: New crew-module thrusters, updated battery systems, and revisions to the parachute architecture.
The agency's goal remains to maintain multiple American spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to low-Earth orbit. As part of this broader strategy, NASA also plans to certify the Vulcan rocket for human-rated spaceflight following the retirement of the Atlas V rocket.
Dana Weigel, NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Programme manager, highlighted the significance of the upcoming uncrewed flight, stating, "Starliner’s next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification and ensuring a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit."