NASA is aiming to launch an uncrewed mission of Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as April, with a potential crewed flight later in the year if technical issues are resolved, officials said.
The upcoming mission, known as Starliner-1, will carry cargo rather than astronauts after the spacecraft failed to achieve full certification during its initial crewed test flight. If the mission succeeds, NASA may consider Starliner for future crew rotations to the ISS.
NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said the agency will evaluate progress after the cargo flight before committing to a timeline for carrying astronauts. “We want to work through and get through Starliner-1 into the summer timeframe and then see where we’re at,” he said during a briefing.
Starliner’s previous mission in June 2024 encountered multiple technical problems, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore remained aboard the ISS for nine months before returning to Earth on a different spacecraft.
Engineers have since been working to address the issues. NASA said progress has been made on the helium leaks by replacing seals with materials more resistant to nitrogen tetroxide, a corrosive oxidizer used in the propulsion system. Teams are also testing and hot-firing thrusters on the Starliner-1 vehicle while developing predictive models to ensure reliable performance.
A successful cargo mission would be a key step toward restoring confidence in the spacecraft’s safety. NASA currently has astronauts training for both potential scenarios: a crew rotation flown by Starliner or by a Crew Dragon vehicle from SpaceX.
Meanwhile, the Crew-12 mission to the ISS is set to launch aboard Crew Dragon after weather delays, with the four-person crew expected to remain in orbit for about eight months. Their replacements later this year could arrive on either Crew-13 or a future Starliner mission, depending on certification progress.
NASA officials cautioned that additional testing and analysis are required before finalizing launch dates, noting that safety reviews will determine whether Starliner is ready to return to crewed operations.
