NASA is preparing to announce a contract for two additional crewed missions using Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. The agency will also provide partial funding to address issues with the ship's propulsion system and support its certification for launch on a new rocket.
This shift follows SpaceX's stated intention to phase out the Crew Dragon program by 2030 or sooner. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell indicated that the company will not guarantee future flights, citing the existence of another provider and the significant government investment already made into Boeing's capsule development.
The decision to rely on Starliner comes despite a history of technical failures. Previous uncrewed test flights in 2019 and 2022 encountered multiple issues, and a June 2024 crewed test flight involving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams faced engine failures that nearly resulted in a disaster.
In February, NASA classified the June 2024 mission as a Category A incident. An internal investigation report, spanning 311 pages, highlighted engineering errors and management failures at Boeing. Despite these findings and the fact that the crew eventually returned via a SpaceX vessel, NASA is reintegrating Boeing into its core crewed flight program.
