Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Targets 2028 Crewed Mission

NASA and Boeing have outlined their next steps for the Starliner spacecraft, which aims to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

The uncrewed Starliner-1 mission is set to launch as early as December this year or January 2027. This will be followed by a crewed Starliner-2 mission targeted for 2028.

The uncrewed Starliner-1 mission will serve as an engineering evaluation mission, validating improvements made to the spacecraft and verifying improved thermal environments. NASA plans to use data from this mission to continue implementing corrective actions identified by its Program Investigation Team and complete testing and certification required for crewed flight.

Boeing has been working on modifying the Starliner's service module, including making thermal modifications and implementing an additional thruster valve design modification. The company will also be installing new crew module thrusters and batteries, as well as making minor modifications to the parachute system.