Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has had a difficult run since its first crewed test flight in June 2024. That flight brought astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station, but thruster problems meant the spacecraft returned without them, and the two astronauts stayed in space for about nine months.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The contract change
In November 2025, NASA and Boeing agreed to reduce Boeing’s astronaut transport contract from six crewed missions to four. The next Starliner flight was to carry no crew, but cargo and new systems added after the 2024 mishap.
The flight schedule
That next flight was targeted for no earlier than April 2026. NASA has repeatedly delayed the timetable since the 2024 mission. Later reporting described a potential uncrewed cargo flight as postponed, and we did not find a confirmed new launch date.
What it means
Reports describe NASA as relying on SpaceX for crewed flights to the ISS, with the station scheduled to retire in 2030. Boeing has absorbed the cost increases under its fixed-price contract, which has risen by about $2 billion, according to SpacePolicyOnline.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article was a 2025 forecast written before these changes. It has been rewritten to report the situation as it stands in the sources listed.
Sources
- Space.com, Boeing’s next Starliner spacecraft to fly won’t carry NASA astronauts: https://space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/boeing-starliner-wont-carry-nasa-astronauts-next-flight
- Colorado Public Radio, Next Boeing Starliner mission will carry no astronauts (25 November 2025): https://www.cfpublic.org/text/space/2025-11-25/next-boeing-starliner-mission-will-carry-no-astronauts
- SpacePolicyOnline, Still no date for Starliner’s next flight: https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/still-no-date-for-starliners-next-flight/
- Pulse, NASA practically eliminates any Starliner flights before ISS retires: https://www.pulse.bot/spacetech/news/nasa-practically-eliminates-any-starliner-flights-before-iss-retires-37bbf40e-04b6-456e-8f0e-ad66a2fdab15/