NASA and Boeing have laid out a phased plan to return Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to service after technical problems left astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station while their spacecraft returned without them. The uncrewed Starliner-1 mission is scheduled to launch in December 2026 or January 2027, NASA announced Monday.
The engineering evaluation flight will test improvements to the spacecraft and collect data needed to determine whether it can safely carry astronauts again. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency would use the results to complete corrective work, testing and certification before returning crew to orbit.
“We are starting with an uncrewed Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station to validate the improvements made to the spacecraft and gather the flight data we need,” Isaacman said. “From there, we will use what we learn, continue implementing the corrective actions identified by our Program Investigation Team, and complete the testing and certification required for crewed flight.”
The roadmap comes after Starliner’s 2024 crewed test flight ended with the capsule landing without Williams and Wilmore. NASA’s resulting investigation produced 61 recommendations. Investigators found that reaction-control thrusters in the service module had operated beyond their engineering qualifications, contributing to anomalies in the spacecraft’s control systems. Ground testing subsequently linked the propulsion problems to interactions involving heat and system design.
Boeing has made thermal changes to the service module, redesigned a thruster valve to address poppet-seal extrusion and installed new crew-module thrusters. Other upgrades include updated batteries and targeted changes to the parachute system. During Starliner-1, NASA plans to assess the revised thermal behavior, gather performance data and address remaining safety risks.
If the uncrewed mission succeeds, NASA aims to return astronauts to the space station aboard Starliner-2 by 2028. The agency is also considering fifth and sixth Starliner missions to the International Space Station.
NASA is working with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to certify ULA’s Vulcan rocket for human spaceflight after the Atlas V’s final retirement flight. Certifying another launch vehicle would help ensure the United States has multiple ways to transport astronauts into low Earth orbit.
“Starliner’s next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification and ensuring a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit,” NASA Low Earth Orbit Program manager Dana Weigel said.
Original Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/nasa-lays-out-phased-plan-to-return-starliner-to-service/article71522436.ece
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-09-29 11:27:00
