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Boeing Starliner-1

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Boeing Starliner-1
Artist's impression of a Boeing Starliner docking to the ISS
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorBoeing Defense, Space & Security
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftBoeing Starliner Spacecraft 2
Spacecraft typeBoeing Starliner
ManufacturerBoeing Defense, Space & Security
Launch mass13,000 kg (29,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateNET Q4 2026[1]
RocketAtlas V N22[a]
Launch siteCape Canaveral, SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance[b]
End of mission
Landing siteTBD[c]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portHarmony forward or zenith

Boeing Starliner-1 is a planned cargo mission of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was to be the first operational crewed mission following the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT).[3] After the CFT mission encountered significant technical issues, NASA and Boeing restructured the program, and Starliner-1 will now fly as an uncrewed cargo mission.[4][5] As of August 2026, teams continue to work through the technical problems, and NASA is considering appropriate launch opportunities for the Starliner-1 mission.[6] The flight is not scheduled with NASA declining to offer a specific date, though Boeing has stated in a regulatory filing that it is targeting no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026.[1]

Cancelled Crew Assignments

[edit]

Starliner-1 was originally manifested as a crewed ISS rotation flight with several astronauts assigned and later reassigned due to program delays. In April 2022, NASA announced that it had not finalized crew placements among the Starliner astronaut cadre, including Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Sunita Williams.[7] Williams and Wilmore were later assigned to the crewed CFT mission.

On September 30, 2022, Scott D. Tingle was named commander and Fincke as pilot.[8] Fincke had previously served as a backup for CFT.[9] On November 22, 2023, Joshua Kutryk was assigned as a mission specialist by the Canadian Space Agency.[10] Kimiya Yui of JAXA was expected to occupy the remaining seat.[11]

Multiple crew changes followed as delays accumulated. Williams, initially planned for Starliner-1,[12] was reassigned to CFT. Jeanette Epps was added to Starliner-1 in 2020,[13] but moved to SpaceX Crew-8 in 2023.[14] Koichi Wakata joined the mission in May 2021,[15] then transferred to SpaceX Crew-5 later that year.[16][17]

On March 27, 2025, Fincke and Yui were reassigned to SpaceX Crew-11,[18][19] and on November 4, 2025, Tingle became Chief of the Astronaut Office.[20][21] On November 24, 2025, NASA announced that Starliner-1 would fly uncrewed,[5] and on April 23, 2026, Kutryk was reassigned to SpaceX Crew-13.[22][23][24] The first crew rotation mission is now expected to be Boeing Starliner-2 if certification is achieved.

Mission

[edit]

Starliner-1 was expected to mark the first reuse of a Starliner spacecraft. The vehicle initially chosen was the capsule flown on the first uncrewed Boeing Orbital Flight Test in December 2019 and later named Calypso by Sunita Williams.[25] After Calypso was reassigned to the crewed CFT mission, Boeing Starliner Spacecraft 2, which flew on Boeing Orbital Flight Test 2, was designated for Starliner-1.

The CFT mission revealed several technical issues, including concerns about the spacecraft's ability to safely return astronauts to Earth. NASA stated that a second crewed test flight may be required,[26] which would further delay the first operational crewed flight.[27][28][29]

In July 2025, Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said the next Starliner flight would likely be an uncrewed cargo mission while engineers continued work on oxidizer-valve temperature-control issues that prevented reliable engine pulsing. Stich said NASA remained optimistic that a crewed Starliner flight could occur on the program's second available slot in late 2026.[30]

However, an investigation report released in February 2026 retroactively classified the CFT as a Type A mishap, NASA's most severe failure category, typically reserved for missions involving loss of vehicle or life. The report cited hardware failures, qualification deficiencies, leadership errors, and organizational shortcomings that created risks inconsistent with NASA's human spaceflight safety standards. Administrator Jared Isaacman said that while the spacecraft has design and engineering deficiencies requiring correction, he was most troubled by the failures in decision-making and leadership at both NASA and Boeing. Steve Stich reported that the investigation was still ongoing and that Starliner-1 would not fly until the investigation was completed and any needed mitigations could be implemented.[31][32][33]

On May 2, 2026, NASA confirmed that Starliner-1 will act as an ISS resupply mission.[34]

During a public meeting of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) on June 23, 2026, a NASA participant stated that six anomalies remain under investigation, including the overheating of thrusters in the "doghouses", and the flight may be up to a year away.[35]

At a July 30, 2026, NASA briefing on upcoming ISS spacewalks, Bill Spetch, deputy manager of NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Program, said the agency was working "very closely" with Boeing to resolve the propulsion system issues identified during CFT, describing progress as good but declining to give a launch date. Boeing president and chief executive Kelly Ortberg said on a July 28 earnings call that Starliner work was going well and that the primary remaining issue was scheduling the mission with NASA; Boeing separately disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it was targeting no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026 for Starliner-1. The mission was nonetheless absent from a list of missions Spetch described as a "busy fall and winter" for the ISS, which included the SpaceX Crew-13 in mid-September, SpaceX CRS-35 cargo mission, and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus NG-25 cargo flight near the end of the year. Spetch said NASA would fly Starliner-1 "when it's ready to go and when we have a spot for it on ISS." A successful Starliner-1 flight by the end of 2026 would open the door to the spacecraft's first long-duration crew rotation mission in the latter half of 2027, though with NASA still planning to retire the ISS in 2030, time remains limited to complete the four missions left on Boeing's modified Commercial Crew contract.[1]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ N22 designates that the Atlas V has no payload fairing, two solid rocket boosters, and a dual engine Centaur second-stage.
  2. ↑ Boeing owns a 50% stake in ULA. Lockheed Martin owns the other 50%.
  3. ↑ Potential landing locations include two sites inside the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Willcox Playa in Arizona, the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and Edwards Air Force Base in California.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Foust, Jeff (July 31, 2026). "NASA still assessing Starliner-1 flight opportunities". SpaceNews. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  2. ↑ "NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Mission Overview". NASA. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Boeing's Starliner Makes Progress Ahead of Flight Test with Astronauts". NASA Commercial Crew. NASA. August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ↑ Niles-Carnes, Elyna (October 15, 2024). "NASA Updates 2025 Commercial Crew Plan". NASA. Archived from the original on February 28, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "NASA, Boeing Modify Commercial Crew Contract". NASA. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ Garcia, Mark A. (May 1, 2026). "NASA, Partners Update International Space Station 2026 Flight Plan". Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ Clark, Stephen (May 18, 2022). "Starliner astronauts eager to see results of crew capsule test flight". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  8. ↑ "NASA Updates Crew Assignments for First Starliner Crew Rotation Flight". NASA. September 30, 2022. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ↑ Potter, Sean (June 16, 2022). "NASA Updates Astronaut Assignments for Boeing Starliner Test Flight". NASA. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  10. ↑ Cawley, James (November 22, 2023). "Mission Specialist Assigned to NASA's Boeing Starliner-1 Mission". NASA. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Next up is launch, as Boeing's Starliner takes trek to Cape Canaveral". April 17, 2024. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ "NASA Assigns Crews to First Test Flights, Missions on Commercial Spacecraft". August 3, 2018. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ Boeing [@Boeing] (August 25, 2020). "The Starliner team is adding a new NASA astronaut" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Space Station Assignments Out for NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission". August 5, 2023. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "NASA, Boeing target July 30 for redo of Starliner test flight to ISS". Orlando Sentinel. May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  16. ↑ "NASA Announces Astronaut Changes for Upcoming Commercial Crew Missions" (Press release). NASA. October 6, 2021. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  17. ↑ @jaxa_wdc (October 12, 2021). "JAXA has announced their WAKATA Koichi @Astro_Wakata is headed for the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ↑ Doyle, Tiernan P. (March 27, 2025). "NASA Shares SpaceX Crew-11 Assignments for Space Station Mission". NASA. Archived from the original on March 27, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  19. ↑ Robinson-Smith, Will (March 28, 2025). "NASA switches Starliner crew to SpaceX Dragon as testing continues on troubled Boeing capsule". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on April 10, 2026. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  20. ↑ "NASA's Scott Tingle to Serve as Agency's Chief Astronaut - NASA". Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Scott Tingle named NASA's new chief astronaut, succeeds ISS crewmate Joe Acaba". collectSPACE.com. November 4, 2025. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  22. ↑ Taveau, Jessica (April 23, 2026). "NASA Shares SpaceX Crew-13 Assignments for Space Station Mission". Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  23. ↑ Lagatta, Eric. "NASA unveils next crew of astronauts who will fly to space station". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  24. ↑ "CSA's Joshua Kutryk assigned to Crew-13 Space Station mission". Canadian Space Agency. April 23, 2026. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  25. ↑ Williams, Sunita [@Astro_Suni] (December 22, 2019). "Thanking two mission control personnel" (Tweet) – via Twitter. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  26. ↑ Clark, Stephen (August 24, 2024). "NASA's Starliner decision was the right one, but it's a crushing blow for Boeing". Ars Technica.
  27. ↑ Roulette, Joey (August 24, 2024). "SpaceX to return Boeing's Starliner astronauts from space next year". Reuters. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  28. ↑ Wattles, Jackie (September 13, 2024). "Boeing Starliner astronaut: 'We found some things that we just could not get comfortable with'". CNN. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  29. ↑ "NASA, Boeing Welcome Starliner Spacecraft to Earth, Close Mission". NASA. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  30. ↑ Dinner, Josh (July 17, 2025). "'Doghouse' days of summer — Boeing's Starliner won't fly again until 2026, and without astronauts aboard". Space.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  31. ↑ Cowing, Keith (February 19, 2026). "A Message From Administrator Jared Isaacman (Starliner)". NASA Watch. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  32. ↑ Roulette, Joey (February 19, 2026). "NASA chief slams Boeing, agency's failures in botched Starliner astronaut mission". Reuters. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  33. ↑ Berger, Eric (February 19, 2026). "NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as "Type A" mishap, says agency made mistakes". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  34. ↑ Tribou, Richard. "NASA keeps Boeing Starliner flights in holding pattern in updated space station plan". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  35. ↑ Robinson-Smith, Will (June 23, 2026). ""NASA, Boeing committed to Starliner-1 launch despite unclear timeline"". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
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