Boeing's Starliner Gets Second Chance at Redemption with NASA Timeline

NASA has announced that Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will attempt to redeem itself after months of unmet timelines. The agency has set December as the earliest possible date for an uncrewed mission, with a crewed flight potentially happening in mid-2028.

The troubled program began two years ago when Starliner's first crewed test flight to the ISS failed due to five malfunctioning thrusters and five helium leaks. The spacecraft was deemed unfit to carry astronauts back home and returned uncrewed in September 2024.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed that teams have made great progress in fixing the helium leaks and testing the thrusters, but the agency is running out of options as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft approaches retirement by 2030.