NASA Gives Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Another Chance

NASA is throwing extra support and money behind Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft to get it fixed and flying again as soon as possible. The space agency has announced that Boeing should be ready to launch a new and improved Starliner by December, but astronauts will not strap in until 2028 due to the need for further safety redesigns.

The Starliner capsule had so many problems in 2024 that its two test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were stuck at the International Space Station for nearly a year. NASA later reclassified the botched mission as a crew-endangering 'Type A mishap', its most severe ranking.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Boeing should be ready to launch the new Starliner by December with cargo but no crew, and that everyone must be confident that all of Starliner's problems have been resolved before putting astronauts back on board. NASA plans to spend an additional $359 million to upgrade the Starliner and obtain new rocket certifications.

The space agency is keen to redeem Boeing's repeatedly bedeviled ride because it needs reliable taxi service for its own orbital outposts, which are being developed by private companies such as SpaceX. Elon Musk's company will launch its 14th crew for NASA later this week.