NASA may require Boeing's Starliner to fly third uncrewed test before it can carry astronauts again

Reuters via MSN ^ | 03/20/2025 | Joey Roulette

[SeekAndFind]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule that left two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station last year may need to fly a third uncrewed test flight before it carries astronauts again, agency officials said as the spacecraft's first crew had to return to Earth on a SpaceX capsule this week.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who rode Boeing's crew capsule to ISS last year, splashed down on Tuesday in SpaceX's Dragon capsule amidst a lengthy effort by Boeing to fix Starliner's faulty propulsion system, which had caused their eight-day test mission to stretch into a nine-month stay in space.

The technical issues on Starliner's debut crewed mission were the latest setback - and most visible so far - in Boeing's thorny development of a spacecraft that has cost the aerospace giant more than $2 billion. Starliner would compete with the dominant Crew Dragon capsule from Elon Musk's SpaceX and provide NASA a second U.S. ride to low-Earth orbit for its astronauts.

But before clinching a long-sought NASA certification for routine flights, the craft may need an extra uncrewed test mission that would be its fourth overall, after it flew two uncrewed tests in 2019 and 2022.

"We're ... looking at some options for Starliner, should we need to, of flying it uncrewed," Steve Stich, chief of NASA's Commercial Crew Program that oversees Starliner development, told reporters Tuesday night. "When we look forward, what we'd like to do is that one flight, and then get into a crew rotation flight."

"We'll kind of weigh all those things as we get the testing and analysis behind us," Stich said.

Boeing did not return requests for comment.

Stich said Starliner's crewed flight last year checked off some key testing milestones related to how astronauts command and fly the vehicle.

[SeekAndFind]

The purpose of an extra uncrewed test, he said, would be to validate that its thrusters can perform as designed in space, an environment impossible to simulate in tests on Earth.

[GingisK]

Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

[BenLurkin]

When your product is so bad that the pilots refuse to fly it — maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

[butlerweave]

Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

Ya , under History of Disasters ,LOl

[clintonh8r]

Boeing…..once the pride of American manufacturing.

[missnry]

Let’s not forget that NASA made the decision to NOT return the astronauts in the Boeing Starliner. The Boeing Starliner RETURNED TO THE EARTH SAFELY. The astronauts were “stranded” because of NASA’s decision to keep them in space. Boeing’s position was that the Starliner was safe and it turned out that it was. The decision to not rescue the astronauts more quickly was a political decision because Elon Musk’s support for Donald Trump. Team Biden couldn’t have Musk being a hero!

[The Louiswu]

[The Louiswu]

“ RETURNED TO THE EARTH SAFELY.”

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NASA flight control had to override safety protocols which shut down malfunctioning thrusters in order to get Starliner back to earth. Not a ringing endorsement in my book.

[SmokingJoe]

Yet the Starliner contract cost nearly twice as much as the SpaceX Dragon contract.

Starliner $4.2 Billion
Dragon $2.6 Billion

Delays have cost Boeing another over $2 Billion again on top of that.
Boeing is just not used to tough competition from a guy like Musk.

[ZOOKER]

Who's buying?

Boeing would love to prove Starliner is fixed. Can't sell it if nobody will use it.

Democrats want it fixed, too, to keep Elon from taking over space operations entirely.

But another test launch will cost millions, maybe billions? Good money after bad if it fails again.

So I ask "Who's Buying?"

[ronnie raygun]

But, but, but, senator murphy said it is operational and ready to pick up the astronauts but they weren’t ready. This is what happeneds in many cases on the rat side when the mouth is not connected to the brain and sh## comes out

[Vaduz]

Yes or use it for a reef marker

[CodeToad]

There is now so little of America in Boeing anymore. It is now “AFRIKKAN!” and Indian, and everything else.

[Sirius Lee]

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who rode Boeing's crew capsule to ISS last year, splashed down on Tuesday in SpaceX's Dragon capsule

I had to laugh as NPR yesterday reported that due to issues with Boeing, the crew returned safely "in another company's capsule." They kept avoiding mentioning SpaceX throughout the day. Lousy leftists.

[Fiji Hill]

"Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule that left two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station last year may need to fly a third uncrewed unmanned test,,,"

FIFY

[FrankRizzo890]

PERFECT answer.

[Campion]

It’s time to punt Starleaker and push toward crewed DreamChaser as a replacement.

[The Louiswu]

“ Boeing is just not used to tough competition from a guy like Musk.”

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Until Musk NASA had no real competition in the US, space flight was always a sort of sacred cow that only big government could tackle. Times have changed and I believe that government should get out of the space biz.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: So I ask “Who’s Buying?”

When you’re dealing with government ( especially a Democrat controlled one ), COST and VALUE FOR MONEY are IGNORED. POLITICS become the major factor in making decisions.

[frogjerk]

Yes, NASA made the right decision not to use Boeing and risk their lives. NASA was also not responsible for them calling the shots not to let SpaceX get them home sooner so I don't blame them at all.

If information comes out that they participated in letting the astronauts languish in space for almost a year I'll change my opinion.