NASA and Boeing said on September 28 that the next Starliner flight to the International Space Station will carry cargo without astronauts, possibly in December 2026 or January 2027. The mission, called Starliner-1, is intended to test changes to the spacecraft after problems on its first crewed flight. NASA now targets a return to astronaut flights on Starliner-2 by 2028, subject to further testing and certification.
The plan follows Starliner's 2024 crew flight test, during which propulsion problems prompted NASA to bring the capsule home empty. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remained aboard the station and later returned on a SpaceX vehicle. A NASA investigation published in February identified 61 recommendations and found that service module thrusters had operated outside their engineering qualification during the flight.
NASA said ground tests linked the thruster trouble to a combination of heat conditions and design features. Boeing has modified the service module to improve its thermal environment, and Starliner-1 will collect flight data to check whether the changes work as intended. NASA also plans a further redesign of thruster valves after that flight to address a seal problem that can affect performance.
Boeing said the uncrewed mission will deliver cargo to the station. The company listed additional work for future flights, including replacement valves on crew module thrusters, upgraded batteries and a parachute joint improvement. It said some corrective steps still require a demonstration in orbit, making the upcoming flight a test of remaining risks rather than proof that certification is complete.
NASA said it intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth Starliner station flight and work with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to certify the Vulcan rocket for crew transport after the last Atlas V flight. The agency says a second US crew vehicle would help maintain access to the station and support future commercial outposts. SpaceX currently provides NASA's operational US crew service.
The December or January launch window remains provisional. NASA will assess Starliner-1's propulsion and thermal data, complete the valve changes and other improvements, and finish certification work before astronauts fly again. NASA's current goal is a crewed Starliner-2 mission in 2028; it has not declared the vehicle ready to carry a crew.
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