NASA Is Still All-in on Boeing’s Troubled Starliner

Though Boeing has been mired in negative press since its botched crewed Starliner mission, NASA remains all-in on the capsule. During a Crew-9 post-splashdown news conference held Tuesday, NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich emphasized that the agency is committed to resolving Starliner’s myriad malfunctions and using it to carry another crewed mission. The jury is still out on when that will occur, though. 

Most are familiar by now with Boeing Crew Flight Test, which launched on June 5, 2024 and brought NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) in the aerospace giant’s Starliner capsule. Starliner had experienced years’ worth of problems prior to launch, including the first of five helium leaks. These leaks, plus a series of weird sounds and miscellaneous glitches, are what ultimately left Wilmore and Williams stuck on the ISS for nine and a half months, instead of the eight days originally planned.

Six months after Starliner returned to Earth sans crew, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule finally brought the duo home along with NASA’s four Crew-9 astronauts this week. Afterward, NASA’s livestreamed media debrief offered insight into what’s next for the troubled Starliner capsule, answering the public’s long-held questions over whether NASA and Boeing were ready to cut their losses.

“We’re working hand in hand with Boeing on the certification of Starliner, on getting that vehicle back in flight,” Stich said.

Stich went on to explain that Wilmore’s and Williams’ extended stay on the ISS showed NASA “how important it is to have two different crew transportation systems.” Given NASA’s positive experience with working alongside SpaceX to bring the astronauts home—as well as new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman’s close association with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk—it’s likely that the agency will continue to use Crew Dragon for astronaut transport. Getting Starliner back up and running, then, would lend NASA the “human spaceflight redundancy” Stich said it was looking for.

Boeing is equally committed to Starliner. According to Stich, CEO Kelly Ortberg has shown great enthusiasm in keeping the program going despite its $2 billion in losses. Boeing is reportedly working with NASA to test Starliner through the summer of 2025; after that, Starliner will likely undergo an uncrewed test flight before carrying humans again.

With Crew-12 just nine months away, the clock is ticking. When asked whether Crew-12 would take Starliner or SpaceX’s Dragon to the ISS early next year, Stich said a capsule was not yet chosen. 

“We’re looking at Starliner very carefully,” Stich said. “We have a little time before we need to make that decision.”