NASA and Boeing Plan Starliner Return with Uncrewed Mission

NASA and Boeing are planning the return of the Starliner spacecraft, despite its troubled history. The next mission, an uncrewed cargo flight to the International Space Station (ISS), is targeted for either December 2026 or January 2027. This flight, dubbed Starliner-1, aims to validate improvements made to the spacecraft following its last ill-fated mission in June 2024.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the agency's commitment to the Starliner program, stating, "We have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight." The next crewed mission, Starliner-2, is tentatively scheduled for no earlier than 2028.

Future Starliner missions will launch on the Vulcan rocket, developed by the United Launch Alliance (ULA). The Vulcan is currently undergoing certification and is set to replace the Atlas V rocket, which launched the last Starliner mission. The Vulcan rocket stands 202 feet tall and features advanced capabilities for complex missions.

The previous Starliner mission in June 2024 ended in near-disaster when issues with the spacecraft delayed the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The astronauts eventually returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Both astronauts have since retired from NASA.