NASA may require Boeing’s Starliner capsule to complete a third uncrewed test flight before it can carry astronauts again, agency officials have stated. This comes after the spacecraft's first crewed mission, which involved two NASA astronauts traveling to the International Space Station (ISS), ended with the astronauts returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who traveled to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner last year, safely splashed down on Tuesday in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, marking the conclusion of an extended mission. The mission, originally planned to last eight days, had stretched into a nine-month stay in space due to issues with Starliner’s faulty propulsion system.
These technical difficulties during Starliner’s debut crewed mission were the latest setback in Boeing's development of the spacecraft, which has already cost the company over $2 billion. Starliner was intended to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, providing NASA with a second U.S. option for sending astronauts to low-Earth orbit.
Before Starliner can be certified for regular crewed flights by NASA, the spacecraft may need to complete an additional uncrewed test flight. This would be its fourth overall, following two previous uncrewed tests in 2019 and 2022.
Steve Stich, head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which oversees Starliner’s development, said, “We’re looking at some options for Starliner, should we need to, of flying it uncrewed.” He added that after completing this extra test flight, the next step would be a crew rotation mission. “We’ll weigh all those things as we get the testing and analysis behind us,” Stich said.
Boeing has not responded to requests for comment.
Stich explained that while Starliner’s crewed flight last year met key milestones regarding astronaut operation of the spacecraft, the additional uncrewed test would focus on validating the performance of its thrusters in space, a condition that can’t be simulated on Earth. Starliner’s first crewed mission was initially intended to be its final test before beginning regular NASA astronaut flights, which have so far been carried out by SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
Starliner’s Competitive Future
Boeing is also exploring the potential of Starliner for missions to privately developed space stations, tapping into the growing private space market in the same way SpaceX has with its fully private Dragon missions. However, Starliner's future was thrown into uncertainty last year when it suffered five thruster failures during its flight to the ISS, as well as helium leaks affecting its thrusters. As a result, NASA ordered Starliner to return to Earth without its crew in September, deeming it unsafe for astronauts.
In January, a NASA safety advisory panel acknowledged significant progress in resolving the technical issues but confirmed that the propulsion system problems had not yet been fully addressed. Stich said Boeing plans a ground test of the propulsion system components this summer to validate the fixes.
Since 2016, Boeing has spent over $2 billion on Starliner development, and the company’s $4.2 billion fixed-price contract with NASA has grown by $326 million since its initial award in 2014. So far, Boeing has received roughly $2.2 billion for Starliner’s development.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has completed 11 astronaut missions for NASA, including a crewed test flight in 2020. The value of SpaceX’s original $3 billion NASA contract has increased to nearly $5 billion, mainly due to additional missions added as a result of Starliner’s development delays.