Brief

NASA boosts funding to get Boeing’s Starliner flying again

NASA will provide additional support and funding to Boeing to resolve Starliner issues and aims for an uncrewed test flight in December.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:16:09 GMT

NASA has announced it will pour extra money into Boeing’s Starliner programme to fix the problems that caused a 2024 crewed flight to leave two astronauts stranded for 286 days. The agency said it will launch an uncrewed Starliner‑1 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in December to test design changes, with a crewed flight not expected until 2028.

Administrator Jared Isaacman said Boeing should be ready to launch a new, improved Starliner with cargo but no crew by December. The agency’s reclassification of the 2024 mission as a crew‑endangering “Type A mishap” underscores the seriousness of the issues. NASA’s manager Dana Weigel stressed that confidence in the capsule’s safety must be restored before astronauts return.

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, who will command the next Starliner flight, praised the crew of the failed mission – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – as “American heroes” and said he was humbled to follow in their footsteps. The agency has been funding both Boeing and SpaceX for crew transport since the retirement of the Space Shuttle, and will use United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket for the upcoming uncrewed flight.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon retirement earlier this year has pushed NASA to accelerate Starliner plans. The agency has secured a $946 million contract with SpaceX for additional Crew Dragon missions through 2030, but a successful Starliner certification could replace Crew Dragon as the primary vehicle.

Key facts

NASA will launch an uncrewed Starliner‑1 flight to the ISS in December (independent.co.uk)
The 2024 crewed Starliner flight left two astronauts stranded for 286 days (independent.co.uk)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a December launch of a cargo‑only Starliner (independent.co.uk)
NASA’s manager Dana Weigel said confidence in Starliner’s safety must be restored before crew return (independent.co.uk)
NASA will use ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket for the uncrewed flight (independent.co.uk)
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon retirement has accelerated NASA’s focus on Starliner (independent.co.uk)

Background

NASA’s earlier coverage on 28 September highlighted the plan for an uncrewed Starliner test flight in December and the certification of the Vulcan rocket for future crew transport.