Bhubaneswar: NASA announced on Thursday that it is progressing toward certifying Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner for crewed flights by late 2025 or early 2026.
This decision follows the spacecraft’s troubled maiden mission to the International Space Station, where a propulsion system failure extended an eight-day mission into a nine-month stay for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
After their recent return aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, NASA and Boeing are now focused on resolving the Starliner’s propulsion issues, media reports said.
Joint teams are working on extensive system tests and analyses throughout spring and summer to determine the scope and timeline for the spacecraft’s next flight.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, indicated that the next crewed Starliner mission could take place as early as late this year or early next.
Boeing’s efforts to fix the propulsion system have further complicated the development of the spacecraft, which has already exceeded $2 billion in costs.
