NASA said on Monday it has reduced the number of Starliner missions Boeing is required to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) and has redesignated the spacecraft’s next flight as a cargo-only mission, marking the latest shift in the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Under the original contracts awarded to Boeing and SpaceX, each company was to conduct an uncrewed demonstration flight, a crewed demonstration flight and six subsequent crew rotation missions. Both companies flew uncrewed demo missions in 2019, but their programs diverged sharply afterward.
SpaceX advanced to its crewed Demo-2 mission in 2020 and has since flown 12 crew rotation flights for NASA. Boeing, however, was forced to redo its uncrewed test flight in 2022 after its 2019 attempt failed to reach the ISS. The 2024 Crew Flight Test (CFT) encountered further problems, including thruster issues that led NASA to order Starliner to return without astronauts. The CFT crew came home aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in September.
Months of uncertainty followed over whether Boeing’s next mission, Starliner-1, would carry astronauts. NASA has now confirmed it will not. The mission is scheduled as a cargo flight no earlier than April 2026.
“NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “This modification allows NASA and Boeing to focus on safely certifying the system in 2026, execute Starliner’s first crew rotation when ready, and align our ongoing flight planning … through 2030.”
NASA and Boeing also agreed to reduce NASA’s committed purchases from six Starliner missions to four, with two additional flights remaining optional. With Starliner-1 operating as a cargo flight, NASA may conduct only three crewed missions on the vehicle.
If the 2026 flight performs as planned, Starliner-2 could become Boeing’s first operational ISS crew mission.
A NASA spokesperson said the next unassigned commercial crew mission to the station is targeted for no earlier than October 2026, following the handover from SpaceX Crew-12.
