Tag: Commercial Crew
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Boeing Starliner-1 Cargo Flight Delayed to Q4 2026
Is Boeing’s Starliner Finally Getting Back to the ISS? Boeing has confirmed in an SEC Form 10-Q filing dated July 28 that it now expects to complete an uncrewed Starliner cargo mission — designated Starliner-1 — no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026, slipping past a previous expectation of flying both an uncrewed and…
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Isaacman at Baikonur: ISS Crew Arrives, US-Russia Space Talks Resume
Did Isaacman’s Baikonur Trip Reopen US-Russia Space Diplomacy? NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stood at Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 14 — the first NASA administrator to attend a launch there since October 2018 — as a Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off at 10:47 a.m. Eastern carrying Soyuz MS-29 to the International Space Station. The spacecraft docked with…
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NASA OIG: Starliner Helium Leaks Still Unresolved at March 2026
Is Boeing Starliner’s Human-Rating Certification Still Out of Reach? As of March 2026, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft still has unresolved helium leaks and propulsion system failures — the same technical problems that grounded it after the two-astronaut Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission in 2024. A NASA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit released June 30,…
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Axiom-4 Mission Delayed Sixth Time as Commercial ISS Access Stalls
Axiom Space has postponed its Axiom-4 mission for the sixth time, marking another setback for the commercial space station operator’s ambitious ISS access schedule. The mission, carrying Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla alongside three other crew members, was originally slated for 2024 launch but has faced continuous delays throughout 2025 and into…
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NASA Awards Voyager Technologies Seventh Private ISS Mission
How does NASA’s seventh private ISS mission contract signal the agency’s commercial strategy? NASA has awarded Voyager Technologies the contract for the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, marking the company’s first selection for ISS operations and targeting a launch no earlier than 2028 from Florida. The mission represents NASA’s continued push…
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The ISS is nearing retirement, so why is NASA still gung-ho about Starliner?
After so many delays, difficulties, and disappointments, you might be inclined to think that NASA wants to wash its hands of Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft. But that’s not the case. The manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, Steve Stich, told reporters Thursday that Boeing and its propulsion supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, are moving forward with several…
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Boeing has now lost $2B on Starliner, but still silent on future plans
Boeing announced Monday it lost $523 million on the Starliner crew capsule program last year, putting the aerospace company $2 billion in the red on its NASA commercial crew contract since late 2019. The updated numbers are included in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “Risk remains that we may record additional…
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Boeing is still bleeding money on the Starliner commercial crew program
Sometimes, it’s worth noting when something goes unsaid. On Wednesday, Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, participated in his first quarterly conference call with investment analysts. Under fire from labor groups and regulators, Boeing logged a nearly $6.2 billion loss for the last three months, while the new boss pledged a turnaround for the troubled aerospace…
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Dragon receives long-planned propulsive landing upgrade after years of development
SpaceX announced a new capability for the Dragon spacecraft on Sept. 27 in the unlikely event of a parachute failure. Dragon now has built-in redundancy to propulsively land using its SuperDraco thrusters, saving the vehicle and potential crew from a rough landing or imminent danger. SpaceX introduced the concept of a propulsive landing Dragon over…
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Engineers investigate another malfunction on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket
SpaceX is investigating a problem with the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage that caused it to reenter the atmosphere and fall into the sea outside of its intended disposal area after a Saturday launch with a two-man crew heading to the International Space Station. The upper stage malfunction apparently occurred after the Falcon 9 successfully deployed SpaceX’s Crew…