NASA and Boeing have reduced the total number of Starliner missions from six to four, with two remaining as options. The first mission under the revised contract will be an uncrewed cargo‑only flight scheduled for no earlier than April 2026, intended to validate system upgrades implemented after the problematic Crew Flight Test.
The decision follows a series of technical problems during the June 2024 Crew Flight Test, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that exposed critical design and integration issues. The additional validation flights required to address these failures prompted NASA and Boeing to trim the mission count to ensure a safer, more reliable certification process.
Financially, the original 2014 contract was valued at $4.5 billion; the modification reduces the contract value by approximately $768 million to $3.732 billion. Boeing has already incurred more than $2 billion in losses on the Starliner program, so the cut further limits revenue potential and delays the spacecraft’s full operational status.
Strategically, the uncrewed cargo flight will serve as a final validation before any crew rotation missions. If successful, the spacecraft could fly up to three subsequent crew rotation missions, but the International Space Station’s planned decommissioning around 2030 limits the window for Starliner to become fully operational. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon remains the sole operational vehicle for NASA crew transport.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said the modification “allows NASA and Boeing to focus on safely certifying the system in 2026, execute Starliner’s first crew rotation when ready, and align our ongoing flight planning for future Starliner missions based on the ISS’s operational needs through 2030.” Boeing has reiterated its commitment to the program and emphasized safety as its highest priority.
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