One yr in the past immediately, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft docked with the Worldwide House Station to start its long-awaited Crew Flight Take a look at with NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore onboard.
A yr later, the way forward for the Starliner program stays unsure as NASA introduced late Friday that the subsequent flight of the spacecraft was being delayed from no sooner than late 2025 to now early 2026 on the soonest.
The company stated the timing of the subsequent launch is “pending system certification and backbone of Starliner’s technical points.” Repeating what it stated again in a March 27 press launch, NASA stated it was nonetheless figuring out whether or not or not the subsequent flight of Starliner would carry astronauts onboard.
In an interview with Reuters printed in late Might, Williams referred to as flying an uncrewed Starliner flight as its subsequent journey to house could be “the logical factor to do.”
“I believe that’s the right path,” Williams advised Reuters, including that she hoped “Boeing and NASA will resolve on that very same plan of action.”
After launching on its first mission to the Worldwide House Station with crew on board in June 2024, lingering points regarding helium leaks and propulsion system anomalies precipitated the spacecraft to return to Earth with out its crew onboard. It touched down on the White Sands House Harbor in New Mexico on Sept. 7.
Previous to the uncrewed return of Starliner, Wilmore and Williams turned a part of the Expedition 72 crew onboard the house station and members of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which made its return to Earth in March 2025.
Following the touchdown of Starliner in September 2024, NASA didn’t say a lot concerning the automobile’s subsequent steps till early March throughout SpaceX Crew-10 briefings. Steve Stich, CCP supervisor, stated on March 7 that NASA and Boeing had been nonetheless working via corrective actions on the automobile earlier than they knew what the subsequent flight would appear like.
“We’ll proceed to work for certification towards the tip of this yr and attempt to — no matter we do, the Starliner will probably be crew succesful,” Stich stated. “After we have a look at the manifest for this yr, it’s fairly, fairly busy within the fall timeframe… So, we’ve received to go determine, manifest-wise, the place does the Starliner match? Does it match greatest in direction of the tip of this calendar yr, the primary flight again after CFT, or early subsequent yr?”
Within the aforementioned March 27 information launch, NASA stated that the company and Boeing could be spending the spring and summer season on the White Sands Take a look at Facility in New Mexico going via “built-in firing of key Starliner thrusters inside a single service module doghouse to validate detailed thermal fashions and inform potential propulsion and spacecraft thermal safety system upgrades, in addition to operational options for future flights.”
A “doghouse” is the time period used to explain the 4 compartments on the Starliner’s service module exterior that every home seven Response Management System (RCS) thrusters. 5 of those RCS thrusters went out throughout the try to rendezvous Starliner with the house station on June 6.
4 of the thrusters had been recovered, previous to docking. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless lingering questions on how one can both redesign a part of the automobile or function it in a unique vogue such that comparable points don’t occur once more.
Spaceflight Now requested NASA for an outline of the schedule of testing out at White Sands, like when it would start and the timing of milestones. An company spokesperson stated, “We’ll share extra data as work progresses.”
Requested throughout a Crew-9 post-mission press convention if he would journey on Starliner once more, Wilmore stated, “Sure.”
“As a result of we’re going to rectify all of those points that we encountered. We’re gonna repair ‘em. We’re gonna make it work,” Wilmore stated. “Boeing’s utterly dedicated, NASA’s utterly dedicated and with that, I’d get on in a heartbeat.”
In its March 27 assertion NASA stated it was nonetheless figuring out whether or not or not crew will probably be on board the subsequent time Starliner flies, however stated that, “Mission managers are planning for the subsequent Starliner flight to be a crew succesful post-certification mission.”
“NASA additionally has the aptitude of flying solely cargo relying on the wants of the company.”
Who’s on first?
Whereas NASA continues to ponder the query of whether or not or not crew will probably be on the subsequent flight of Starliner, query marks proceed to swirl round who the astronauts will probably be that may fly the primary crewed mission, dubbed Starliner-1.
There appeared to be a agency reply as not too long ago as final September, when Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth with out its crew on board. However not too long ago, each NASA and the Canadian House Company (CSA), the businesses who beforehand introduced three out of the 4 astronauts set to fly on the post-certification flight of the spacecraft, dubbed Starliner-1, are actually unwilling to again their earlier statements.
When the Starliner Crew Flight Take a look at (CFT) mission ended on Sept. 7, 2024, with the spacecraft’s touchdown in New Mexico, the members of the Starliner-1 mission had been recognized to be NASA Astronauts Scott Tingle and Edward Michael “Mike” Fincke because the commander and pilot respectively. CSA astronaut, Joshua Kutryk was assigned as one of many mission specialists.
The fourth seat was by no means formally assigned, however there have been indications that Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui was coaching as a mission specialist for that mission.
In a put up on X, JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi shared a photograph taken by Boeing of Yui throughout the rollout of the Starliner spacecraft forward of the CFT flight and said (by way of Google Translate), “We even have the heroic determine of @Astro_Kimiya who’s rumored to be a member of the primary operation automobile #Starliner1! Good luck, Yui-san!”
NASA introduced a change to the Starliner-1 lineup on March 27 when it named the astronauts and cosmonaut who could be flying the SpaceX Crew-11 mission no sooner than July 2025. Among the many 4 introduced had been each Fincke and Yui.
“NASA determined to reassign the astronauts to Crew-11 in total help of deliberate actions aboard the Worldwide House Station,” the company wrote. “(Zena) Cardman carries her expertise coaching as a commander on Dragon spacecraft, and Fincke brings long-duration spaceflight expertise to this crew complement.”
In mild of Fincke’s reassignment, Spaceflight Now reached out at to NASA on the time to verify that Tingle and Kutryk had been each nonetheless assigned to the Starliner-1 mission. NASA declined to verify that.
“NASA and its worldwide companions proceed to guage future assignments primarily based on the crew members’ {qualifications}, expertise, and expertise to make sure the respective businesses accomplish their human spaceflight objectives,” an company spokesperson advised Spaceflight Now in an announcement. “NASA will share further data on crew assignments when out there.”
Requested once more, for clarification, if that meant that Tingle and Kutryk had been not a part of the Starliner-1 crew, the spokesperson replied, “We’ll observe up when we’ve got extra data on future crew assignments.”
Historical past of Starliner-1 (abridged)
The trio of Tingle, Fincke, Kutryk (and certain Yui) wasn’t at all times the make-up of the Starliner-1 mission. Again in 2018, NASA hosted a big occasion on the Johnson House Middle to unveil the crews who would fly on the demonstration missions for each Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in addition to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
Dragon Demo-2 would fly NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley and Starliner CFT would fly Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronauts Eric Boe and Nicole Mann.
On the similar occasion, NASA introduced which of its astronauts could be flying the primary full crew rotation missions. Crew-1 acquired Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins and Starliner-1 received Joshua Cassada and Suni Williams.
Shortly after the announcement, Fincke changed Boe on CFT because of medical causes. Then, in August 2020, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps was assigned to the Starliner-1 mission.
In October 2020, when Ferguson bowed out from CFT for household causes, Butch Wilmore was named commander of that mission.
Then, when Starliner needed to stand down from launching the Orbital Flight Take a look at 2 (OFT-2) mission in July 2021, that October, NASA introduced it was reassigning Mann and Cassada to the SpaceX Crew-5 mission.
“It has been the chance of a lifetime to coach on a brand-new spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, and it has been implausible to work with the Boeing crew,” Mann stated in a assertion. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to coach on one other new spacecraft – the SpaceX Crew Dragon – and admire the groups at NASA who’ve made that doable. I’m able to fly and serve on the Worldwide House Station.”
JAXA astronaut, Koichi Wakata, who was additionally reportedly coaching for the Starliner-1 mission, was additionally assigned to the Crew-5 mission.
In Might 2022, throughout a pre-launch press convention earlier than the uncrewed flight of the Starliner Orbital Flight Take a look at 2 (OFT-2), Fincke, Williams and Wilmore had been all referred to collectively as a “cadre of Starliner astronauts,” with NASA not explicitly stating who would fly on which mission.
Following the launch of OFT-2, in June 2022, Williams was named pilot of the CFT mission and Fincke was reassigned to be the backup pilot for CFT. Then, in September 2022, NASA named Tingle because the commander of Starliner-1 and introduced Fincke could be the pilot on that flight.
On August 4, 2023, NASA introduced that Epps was transferring off of the Starliner-1 mission to the SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The company stated it made the transfer “to permit Boeing time to finish growth of Starliner whereas additionally persevering with plans for astronauts to achieve spaceflight expertise for future mission wants.”
The latest formal project to the Starliner-1 mission got here on Nov. 22, 2023, when Kutryk was named as a mission specialist. He went on to function the Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for the CFT mission.
Like with NASA, following the Crew-11 announcement, Spaceflight Now additionally reached out to CSA concerning Kutryk’s standing in reference to the Starliner-1 mission. And like with NASA, a CSA spokesperson declined to verify his crew project.
“The Canadian House Company and NASA proceed to guage future assignments to make sure the respective businesses accomplish their human spaceflight objectives,” a CSA spokesperson stated. “Within the meantime, Joshua Kutryk continues his mission-specific coaching at NASA’s Johnson House Middle.”
As of Friday afternoon, the CSA web site nonetheless has a web page outlining the Starliner-1 mission and its now probably former crew. Kutryk’s CSA astronaut bio additionally lists his upcoming mission as Starliner-1.
