NASA Gives Boeing Starliner Second Chance with New Launch Plans

NASA's Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been plagued by issues since its first crewed flight test in June 2024. The mission, aimed at certifying the spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, was aborted due to thruster problems.

The spacecraft returned to Earth without NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board. Instead, they joined a SpaceX crew and returned months later aboard a Dragon spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that teams have identified the cause of the service-module helium leak and replaced the affected seals with new material and tighter tolerances.

Isaacman added that Boeing also made significant thermal modifications to the service module to reduce thruster temperatures, one of the major contributors to the performance issues during flight.