No astronauts on Boeing Starliner’s next flight

Boeing and NASA have decided that the company’s next Starliner mission will carry cargo only.

Monday’s announcement comes eight months after Starliner’s first crewed mission ended with two astronauts stuck in space. NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams successfully docked the capsule to the International Space Station in 2024, but a series of technical problems, including thruster failures and helium leaks, forced NASA to send Starliner back to Earth empty.

Wilmore and Williams remained aboard the station for more than nine months, far longer than their planned eight-day stay. They eventually returned home aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

NASA, Boeing to conduct cargo-only Starliner flights

Since then, engineers have been working to resolve the issues with Starliner. Its next flight is scheduled for no earlier than April 2026 and will deliver cargo to the ISS.

“NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “This modification allows NASA and Boeing to focus on safely certifying the system in 2026, execute Starliner’s first crew rotation when ready, and align our ongoing flight planning for future Starliner missions based on station’s operational needs through 2030.”

NASA is also reducing the number of guaranteed Starliner missions from six to four. If the cargo mission succeeds, the remaining three flights will be used for crew rotations before the ISS retires in 2030.

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