Boeing's Starliner, often nicknamed the Calamity Capsule, is getting another chance at ISS taxi duties. NASA and Boeing plan to launch an uncrewed Starliner-1 in the December 2026/January 2027 timeframe to carry cargo to the International Space Station. If that mission goes well, a crewed Starliner-2 would follow in 2028. NASA also intends to exercise options for fifth and sixth flights and to certify the Vulcan rocket as the Atlas V is phased out.
The program has a troubled history. Since the contract was awarded in 2014, Starliner has managed only one crewed flight, and that 2024 test ended with an empty capsule returning to Earth after multiple failures. The crew, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stayed on the ISS for months and returned via a SpaceX Crew Dragon. NASA pared back its order from six to four missions in 2025, and the Starliner-1 schedule has already slipped from April 2026 to the end of the year.
Boeing says it has closed 19 of the 21 in-flight anomalies from the crew flight test, with the remainder expected to close in October. Changes include replacing valves on all 12 crew module reaction control thrusters, improving the parachute joint design, and upgrading battery systems. The company is also working toward certifying the Vulcan rocket for Starliner launches.
The rationale for continuing is tied to the broader crew transportation picture. SpaceX's Crew Dragon is proven but its current run may end around 2028, and NASA has added three more Crew Dragon missions in the meantime. With commercial stations coming online, NASA says maintaining a US crew capability is essential. The Register notes that the words "sunk-cost fallacy" are hard to escape given the billions spent, but the desire to make Starliner operational is understandable given the limited time and the need for US access to orbit.