Two years because the now-infamous Starliner spacecraft launched from Florida on its maiden crewed mission, Boeing’s troubled spacecraft might quickly fly once more.
The Starliner saga dominated headlines for months after its June 2024 launch when points with the spacecraft extended the keep of the 2 astronauts who crewed it on the Worldwide House Station. The developmental car returned to Earth empty, whereas its crew remained behind on the orbital outpost earlier than hitching a experience house in March 2025 with Boeing’s SpaceX competitor.
Regardless of the botched mission, NASA has not but given up hope on Boeing. As an alternative, the 2 entities have plowed forward on plans to get the Starliner capsule off the bottom as soon as once more because the U.S. house company seems to be so as to add a second industrial car to its roster that may take astronauts to house.
However subsequent time, no people shall be aboard the Starliner when it is launched from Florida’s House Coast certain for the ISS.
Whereas that mission was initially focused for April, the timeline is now “below overview,” in accordance with NASA. Here is every thing to know concerning the Boeing Starliner, and when the spacecraft might launch on one other NASA flight check.
What’s the Boeing Starliner spacecraft?
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the Worldwide House Station is pictured July 3, 2024 docked to the Concord module’s ahead port. This view is from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the port adjoining to the Starliner.
Designed and constructed by aerospace contractor Boeing, the Starliner spacecraft is being developed to ferry each astronauts and provides to and from the Worldwide House Station.
The target is for NASA to have the ability to certify Starliner because the second operational car able to reaching the ISS earlier than the station is retired by 2030. The missions can be contracted below the U.S. house company’s industrial crew program, below which NASA pays personal firms to conduct orbital spaceflights utilizing their very own industrial autos.
SpaceX has already been making routine journeys since 2020 to the house station below this system utilizing its Dragon capsule, which launches atop the corporate’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy House Heart.
Subsequent uncrewed Starliner mission to ISS ‘below overview’
Regardless that the Starliner’s maiden crewed flight in June 2024 resulted in failure, NASA has continued to work with Boeing towards certifying the car.
NASA had beforehand introduced that it had been working towards an April 2026 launch of Starliner’s subsequent check flight, a mission with no crew referred to as Starliner-1. However after April got here and went with out the car getting off the bottom, the company is now indicating that the timeline for that mission is “below overview.”
Revising the goal launch date grew to become needed as groups proceed to make enhancements to the car, in accordance with NASA.
“The company is assessing operational readiness and house station visitors to decide the earliest possible launch window,” NASA mentioned in a Could 1 weblog publish. A NASA spokesman had no further data so as to add when reached Could 28 by the USA TODAY Community.
When the mission does launch, NASA will forgo transporting astronauts and as a substitute ship the spacecraft to the Worldwide House Station with nothing however cargo. The aim, as NASA beforehand defined in November, is to conduct “in-flight validation of the system upgrades” carried out because the earlier failed spaceflight.
What occurred with the final Boeing Starliner launch from Florida?
Hitching a experience atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, the Starliner spacecraft launched for the house station June 5, 2024, from the Kennedy House Heart close to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Aboard the car have been NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Although the astronauts have been anticipated to stay on the orbital laboratory for as much as 10 days, points with the Starliner spacecraft delayed their return. NASA finally determined to have the Starliner car undock and return to Earth with out its crew, leaving Wilmore and Williams in want of a experience house.
The pair of astronauts then returned in March 2025 for a water touchdown off the Florida coast on a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which had reached the house station in September 2024 with a mission referred to as Crew-9.
NASA’s Jared Isaacman blasts Boeing, former leaders for mission failure
In February 2026, NASA launched a scathing report lambasting not simply the technical failures of Boeing’s spacecraft, however the “unprofessional conduct” leaders exhibited whereas debating how the troubled check mission ought to unfold.
NASA’s Administrator Jared Isaacman didn’t mince phrases when saying the outcomes of the report.
“Starliner has design and engineering deficiencies that have to be corrected, however essentially the most troubling failure revealed by this investigation isn’t {hardware},” Isaacman wrote in a letter to NASA workers, which he posted in full on social media web site X. “It’s determination making and management that, if left unchecked, might create a tradition incompatible with human spaceflight.”
Each NASA astronauts who crewed Starliner retire
Wilmore and Williams have each since retired, making the ill-fated Starliner mission their final as NASA astronauts.
Wilmore was the primary to retire in August 2025. In an announcement on the time reflecting on his 25-year profession as a NASA astronaut, he mentioned his time in house revealed to him that “the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in methods phrases can scarcely convey.”
Williams then introduced her retirement from NASA in January 2026 after greater than 27 years with the U.S. house company. In an announcement, she mentioned, “anybody who is aware of me is aware of that house is my absolute favourite place to be.”
Eric Lagatta is the House Join reporter for the USA TODAY Community. Attain him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY publication.
This text initially appeared on Florida Immediately: NASA, Boeing ‘overview’ timeline of Starliner comeback mission in Florida
Leave a Reply