NASA and Boeing extend Starliner return-to-flight timeline amid ongoing technical challenges
NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said the uncrewed Starliner launch target is under review, with the next flight likely to occur within a year as Boeing works to resolve propulsion and helium-leak issues.
NASA and Boeing said on Monday that the schedule for the next uncrewed Starliner flight remains under review, with the launch expected sometime within the next year, according to the agency’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. The panel, which includes former astronaut Kent Rominger, noted that work continues to resolve the spacecraft’s propulsion system problems and persistent helium leaks.
"NASA and Boeing continue working toward the goal of Starliner’s crewed certification, which includes defining what is needed and acceptable for the next uncrewed mission to reduce risk and confirm readiness for crew missions," Rominger said.
The Orion-class capsule’s first crewed test flight in 2023 experienced multiple thruster failures and helium leaks, forcing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams to manually pilot the vehicle and later return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon after a nine-month stay on the International Space Station. Boeing has been addressing the identified issues since the spacecraft’s uncrewed return in September 2023.
In February, NASA reported progress on fixing the leaks and testing the malfunctioning thrusters, and had anticipated an April 2024 uncrewed flight. No further updates were provided until the recent advisory panel meeting.
Panel chair Susan Helms said the uncrewed mission, designated Starliner-1, is expected to occur “in the next year or so.” The agency had previously aimed for an operational crewed launch by early 2025, but has since revised its commercial crew contract with Boeing, reducing the planned number of Starliner missions from six to four.
