NASA Consdering Another Test Flight for Boeing’s Starliner Before Resuming ISS Crew Missions

During a press briefing following the return of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon from the Crew-9 mission on March 18, Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, confirmed the likelihood of another Starliner test flight. “What we’d like to do is that one flight and then get into a crew rotation flight,” Stich stated. “The next flight up would really test all the changes we’re making to the vehicle, and then the next flight beyond that, we really need to get Boeing into a crew rotation.”

Addressing Starliner’s Technical Challenges

The decision stems from ongoing work to address propulsion system issues that surfaced during Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission last year. The spacecraft experienced helium leaks and thruster failures, which ultimately led NASA to return it to Earth without a crew. As a result, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had flown to the ISS on Starliner for what was intended to be a short-duration mission, had to extend their stay until the completion of Crew-9.

“The thing that we need to solidify and go test is the propulsion system in the service module,” Stich explained. “We need to make sure we can eliminate the helium leaks and resolve the service module thruster issues that we had during docking.”

The next test flight could be uncrewed, but NASA wants the vehicle to be fully capable of supporting a crewed mission. “Even if we were to fly the vehicle without a crew in the return, we want that to be crew-capable,” Stich said. “So, we want it to have all the systems in place that would allow us to fly a crew if needed.”

Progress on Starliner’s Readiness

Since Starliner’s return to Earth last September, both NASA and Boeing have remained relatively quiet about the spacecraft’s ongoing modifications. However, in an earlier briefing on March 7, Stich noted that the program was making “good progress,” with about 70% of the in-flight anomalies from the CFT mission already resolved. The propulsion issues, however, remain under review, with further testing planned.

Despite the setbacks, Boeing has reaffirmed its commitment to the Starliner program. The company has taken significant financial losses, recording over half a billion dollars in charges on the program in 2024 alone, with total losses exceeding $2 billion over its development. Nevertheless, Stich believes Boeing is dedicated to seeing Starliner through to operational status.

“Boeing, all the way up to their new CEO, Kelly [Ortberg], has been committed to Starliner,” he said. He highlighted the company’s intensive efforts to test new seals to prevent helium leaks and its multifaceted approach to thruster testing. “I see a commitment from Boeing to continue the program. They realize that they have an important vehicle, and we are very close to having the capability that we would like to field.”

Starliner’s Role in NASA’s Crew Missions

Apart from the propulsion system challenges, Starliner has provided NASA with most of the data required for certification for crewed flights. Any additional test flight would fall within Boeing’s “post-certification” phase under its NASA contract. However, it remains unclear whether such a test would count as one of the six post-certification missions included in that contract.

NASA is in no rush to make a final decision regarding Starliner’s first operational mission. The upcoming Crew-11 mission, which SpaceX will handle, is scheduled for launch as early as July. This timeline is coordinated with an August launch of a cargo Dragon mission, which will remain at the ISS for much of the fall to test its station reboost capabilities.

NASA has not yet determined whether Crew-11 will be followed by Crew-12, another SpaceX mission, or the first Starliner crew rotation flight. “We probably have a little bit more time, as we get into the summer, to understand the testing we’re going to do and make that decision,” Stich said.

For now, NASA and Boeing remain focused on ensuring that Starliner is fully prepared for safe and reliable crewed missions, with one final test flight serving as a crucial step toward integrating the spacecraft into regular ISS operations.

By Azhar