Boeing Starliner-1

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Wikipedia

Boeing Starliner-1
Artist's impression of a Boeing Starliner docking to the ISS
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorBoeing Defense, Space & Security
Mission duration180 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftBoeing Starliner Spacecraft 2
Spacecraft typeBoeing Starliner
ManufacturerBoeing Defense, Space & Security
Launch mass13,000 kg (29,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 2026[1]
RocketAtlas V N22[a]
Launch siteCape Canaveral, SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance[b]
End of mission
Landing siteTBD[c]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portHarmony forward or zenith
Time docked180 days (planned)

Boeing Starliner-1 is a planned cargo mission of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was originally intended to follow the crewed Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) launched on June 5, 2024.[3] After the CFT mission encountered significant technical issues, NASA and Boeing restructured the program, and Starliner-1 will now fly as an uncrewed cargo mission.[4][1] Launch is planned for no earlier than April 2026.

Crew

Starliner-1 was originally manifested as a crewed ISS rotation flight with several astronauts assigned and later reassigned due to program delays. In April 2022, NASA announced that it had not finalized crew placements among the Starliner astronaut cadre, including Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Sunita Williams.[5] Williams was later assigned to the crewed CFT mission.

On September 30, 2022, Scott D. Tingle was named commander and Fincke as pilot.[6] Fincke had previously served as a backup for CFT.[7] On November 22, 2023, Joshua Kutryk was assigned as a mission specialist by the Canadian Space Agency.[8] Kimiya Yui of JAXA was expected to occupy the remaining seat.[9]

Multiple crew changes followed as delays accumulated. Williams, initially planned for Starliner-1,[10] was reassigned to CFT. Jeanette Epps was added to Starliner-1 in 2020,[11] but moved to SpaceX Crew-8 in 2023.[12] Koichi Wakata joined the mission in May 2021,[13] then transferred to SpaceX Crew-5 later that year.[14][15]

On March 27, 2025, Fincke and Yui were reassigned to SpaceX Crew-11, and on November 4, 2025, Tingle became Chief of the Astronaut Office. On November 24, 2025, NASA announced that Starliner-1 would fly uncrewed, and Kutryk was removed from the flight.[1] The first crew rotation mission is now expected to be Boeing Starliner-2 if certification is achieved.

Mission

Starliner-1 was expected to mark the first reuse of a Starliner spacecraft. The vehicle initially chosen was the capsule flown on the first uncrewed Boeing Orbital Flight Test in December 2019 and later named Calypso by Sunita Williams.[16] After Calypso was reassigned to the crewed CFT mission, Boeing Starliner Spacecraft 2, which flew on Boeing Orbital Flight Test 2, was designated for Starliner-1.

The CFT mission revealed several technical issues, including concerns about the spacecraft's ability to safely return astronauts to Earth. NASA has stated that a second crewed test flight may be required,[17] which would further delay Starliner-1.[18][19][20]

In July 2025, Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said the next Starliner flight would likely be an uncrewed cargo mission while engineers continued work on oxidizer-valve temperature-control issues that prevented reliable engine pulsing. Stich said NASA remained optimistic that a crewed Starliner flight could occur on the program’s second available slot in late 2026.[21]

Notes

  1. ↑ N22 designates that the Atlas V has no payload fairing, two solid rocket boosters, and two Centaur second-stage engines.
  2. ↑ Boeing owns a 50% stake in ULA. Lockheed Martin owns the other 50%.
  3. ↑ Potential landing locations include two sites inside the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Willcox Playa in Arizona, the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and Edwards Air Force Base in California.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NASA, Boeing Modify Commercial Crew Contract". NASA. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  2. ↑ "NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Mission Overview". NASA. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Boeing's Starliner Makes Progress Ahead of Flight Test with Astronauts". NASA Commercial Crew. NASA. August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ↑ Niles-Carnes, Elyna (October 15, 2024). "NASA Updates 2025 Commercial Crew Plan". NASA. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  5. ↑ Clark, Stephen (May 18, 2022). "Starliner astronauts eager to see results of crew capsule test flight". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ "NASA Updates Crew Assignments for First Starliner Crew Rotation Flight". NASA. September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ↑ Potter, Sean (June 16, 2022). "NASA Updates Astronaut Assignments for Boeing Starliner Test Flight". NASA. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  8. ↑ Cawley, James (November 22, 2023). "Mission Specialist Assigned to NASA's Boeing Starliner-1 Mission". NASA. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Next up is launch, as Boeing's Starliner takes trek to Cape Canaveral". April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ "NASA Assigns Crews to First Test Flights, Missions on Commercial Spacecraft". August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ Boeing [@Boeing] (August 25, 2020). "The Starliner team is adding a new NASA astronaut" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Space Station Assignments Out for NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission". August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ "NASA, Boeing target July 30 for redo of Starliner test flight to ISS". Orlando Sentinel. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ "NASA Announces Astronaut Changes for Upcoming Commercial Crew Missions" (Press release). NASA. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. ↑ @jaxa_wdc (October 12, 2021). "JAXA has announced their WAKATA Koichi @Astro_Wakata is headed for the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Williams, Sunita [@Astro_Suni] (December 22, 2019). "Thanking two mission control personnel" (Tweet) – via Twitter. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  17. ↑ Clark, Stephen (August 24, 2024). "NASA's Starliner decision was the right one, but it's a crushing blow for Boeing". Ars Technica.
  18. ↑ Roulette, Joey (August 24, 2024). "SpaceX to return Boeing's Starliner astronauts from space next year". Reuters. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  19. ↑ Wattles, Jackie (September 13, 2024). "Boeing Starliner astronaut: 'We found some things that we just could not get comfortable with'". CNN. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ "NASA, Boeing Welcome Starliner Spacecraft to Earth, Close Mission". NASA. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ Dinner, Josh (July 17, 2025). "'Doghouse' days of summer — Boeing's Starliner won't fly again until 2026, and without astronauts aboard". Space.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.