One Year After Historic Docking, Boeing’s Starliner Faces Uncertain Future Amid Delays and Reassignments

The delay, NASA said, stems from ongoing system certification hurdles and unresolved technical issues with the spacecraft. The agency reiterated that it has not yet decided whether Starliner’s next flight will carry astronauts, echoing statements made in a March 27 press release.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Williams suggested that the next mission should likely be uncrewed. “That’s the correct path,” she said. “I hope Boeing and NASA will decide on that same course of action.”

Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) launched in June 2024 and marked the spacecraft’s first trip to the ISS with astronauts on board. But persistent problems—including helium leaks and anomalies in the propulsion system—forced the vehicle to return to Earth without its crew. Wilmore and Williams remained aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 72 and the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, eventually returning to Earth in March 2025. The Starliner capsule landed uncrewed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 7, 2024.

Since then, updates on Starliner’s progress have been sporadic. In March, during briefings for SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) manager Steve Stich said the agency and Boeing were still working on corrective actions. He confirmed that the vehicle would remain “crew capable” but noted that scheduling its next launch was proving difficult due to a packed manifest for late 2025.

This spring and summer, NASA and Boeing are conducting integrated tests at White Sands Test Facility to evaluate Starliner’s thruster systems and thermal protection design. The tests involve firing thrusters housed in “doghouses”—compartments containing the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that experienced failures during the June 6, 2024 rendezvous with the ISS.

Of the five thrusters that failed during that attempt, four recovered in time for docking, but questions remain about potential design or operational changes needed to prevent future malfunctions. NASA has yet to release a timeline for testing milestones but says updates will come as work progresses.

Despite the setbacks, Wilmore expressed full confidence in the spacecraft’s future. Asked at a recent press conference if he’d fly on Starliner again, he responded, “Yes. Because we’re going to rectify all of these issues. We’re gonna fix ‘em. Boeing’s completely committed, NASA’s completely committed—and with that, I’d get on in a heartbeat.”

Still, uncertainty clouds not only the timing of Starliner’s return to flight but also who will be on board. When CFT concluded in September 2024, NASA had announced that the crew for the post-certification Starliner-1 mission would include astronauts Scott Tingle, Mike Fincke, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk. Japan’s Kimiya Yui was also believed to be training for the fourth seat.

But that crew roster has since unraveled. On March 27, NASA reassigned Fincke and Yui to SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission, launching no earlier than July 2025. Asked whether Tingle and Kutryk remained on the Starliner-1 manifest, NASA declined to confirm, stating only that crew assignments were under review.

The Canadian Space Agency echoed that uncertainty. Although Kutryk’s bio and CSA’s website still list him as part of Starliner-1, the agency would not confirm his continued assignment.

The shifting crew line-up is the latest in a long history of reassignments plaguing the Starliner program. Since 2018, astronauts originally tapped for key Boeing missions—including Jeanette Epps, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada—have been reassigned to SpaceX flights as Starliner suffered development delays.

Despite the turbulence, NASA maintains that it still plans for Starliner’s next mission to be “crew capable,” though it hasn’t ruled out flying only cargo if needed.

By Azhar