Summary
- Boeing’s crewed Starliner mission stretched from eight days to nine months due to unresolved system faults.
- NASA will conduct months of propulsion and helium leak tests before approving Starliner for future missions.
- Certification delays risk Boeing falling further behind SpaceX, its only commercial crew rival.
The Long Road to Certification
Starliner’s promise was simple: deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and bring them home safely. But Boeing’s first crewed mission, launched in June 2024, turned that ambition into a drawn-out ordeal. The spacecraft, carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, experienced a cascade of propulsion system issues that turned an eight-day mission into a nine-month orbital stay.
Now, in 2025, NASA is working to certify Starliner for future missions. The spacecraft’s debut didn’t end with celebration—it ended with a rescue flight. Williams and Wilmore returned in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, as Boeing’s Starliner was deemed unfit to bring them home.
NASA’s Steve Stich, who leads the Commercial Crew Program, has indicated that a new Starliner flight likely won’t happen before early 2026. Postflight analyses and thruster system tests are underway, but the spacecraft won’t move forward until its propulsion system is deemed reliable.
Starliner was intended to be the second operational transport for ISS crew rotations, providing redundancy to NASA’s partnership with SpaceX. But now, with delays mounting and trust fading, that dual-vendor vision is hanging by a thread.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore & Suni Williams return to Earth via SpaceX Dragon after 9+ months on the ISS due to Boeing Starliner delays.
— Shay Boloor (@StockSavvyShay) March 18, 2025
Musk gets a lot of flack — but his innovation just brought home two patriots stranded in space.
pic.twitter.com/Z1zeCzAGas
The Engineering Setbacks Boeing Must Solve
- Starliner’s propulsion system suffered helium leaks and inconsistent thruster firings.
- Post-mission test campaigns are underway through summer to isolate and solve the issues.
- NASA and Boeing engineers must validate that the vehicle can support a full mission cycle.
- Starliner certification NASA hoped to finalize by 2021 has been delayed multiple times.
- Boeing’s cost overruns now exceed $2 billion, with zero fully successful operational missions.
Starliner’s technical woes are not new—but their persistence is a growing concern. Its 2019 uncrewed test failed to reach the ISS due to software errors. In 2022, a second uncrewed flight managed a docking but flagged secondary issues. The 2024 crewed mission was meant to correct those. Instead, it introduced new ones.
The propulsion system failures were critical. Helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters made it unsafe for reentry, forcing NASA to leave the spacecraft at the ISS for nine months and ultimately arrange alternate transport for the crew.
Now, both agencies are conducting extensive propulsion testing. These campaigns are designed to replicate mission conditions and identify mechanical weak points, especially in the spacecraft’s thruster control systems. Boeing and NASA are running simulations, stress tests, and component reviews that will continue through mid-2025.
For Starliner certification, NASA requires that every phase—from launch to docking to return—meets exacting standards. Until then, the spacecraft remains grounded. And with each delay, Boeing’s standing within NASA’s commercial strategy is under pressure.
The Commercial Crew Vision at Risk
- NASA’s original dual-vendor strategy depends on Starliner becoming flight-ready.
- Starliner’s delay puts long-term ISS planning and international coordination at risk.
- Future missions may be constrained if NASA is left with only one launch partner.
- Confidence in Boeing’s future in human spaceflight is under scrutiny.
When NASA initiated the Commercial Crew Program in 2014, it aimed to reduce dependence on Russian Soyuz capsules and avoid reliance on a single vendor. Boeing and SpaceX were selected to lead America’s return to independent human spaceflight.
A decade later, SpaceX is routinely sending crews to the ISS. Boeing, meanwhile, has yet to deliver a fully successful mission. The imbalance is now more than symbolic—it’s logistical. The ISS has a limited number of docking ports, tight schedules, and growing international involvement. Every delay from Boeing compresses that system.
Astronaut assignments have been reshuffled. NASA’s international partners—like the European Space Agency and Japan’s JAXA—face uncertainty when their crew plans are linked to a spacecraft that’s still grounded. Starliner’s extended absence is forcing NASA to rely on SpaceX for all active missions, reducing resilience in case of anomalies or emergencies.
Long-term, this could affect future roles Boeing might play in Artemis lunar missions or Mars exploration architecture. If Starliner certification fails to materialize by 2026, the company’s presence in NASA’s human spaceflight roadmap could shrink significantly.
SpaceX Rises While Boeing Lags
- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has become NASA’s default transport for astronauts to the ISS.
- Boeing’s three Starliner missions (two uncrewed, one crewed) all encountered mission-threatening faults.
- NASA’s confidence in Boeing’s schedule projections is fading with each delay.
- The Starliner certification NASA had banked on is now two full years behind expectations.
- Boeing’s continued delays limit NASA’s flexibility in managing ISS rotations and mission diversity.
While Boeing grapples with ground tests and diagnostics, SpaceX continues to execute mission after mission with quiet consistency. Since its first crewed launch in 2020, Crew Dragon has completed multiple flights to the ISS with minimal disruption.
This reliability isn’t just good PR—it’s reshaping NASA’s operational planning. Assignments that were once destined for Starliner have been transferred to SpaceX. NASA’s mission architecture is now tilted toward a single launch partner, which introduces vulnerabilities the Commercial Crew Program was designed to avoid.
And while Boeing’s Starliner was meant to serve as backup or balance, its delays are starting to look structural. Starliner certification was expected as early as 2021. Today, that milestone remains elusive.
Internally, Boeing faces scrutiny from both NASA and its own executive board. The company is under increasing pressure to deliver a spacecraft that meets mission requirements without additional overruns or delays. But in the shadow of SpaceX’s pace and success, even a perfect mission in 2026 might feel like catching up to the past.
Still on the Launchpad
NASA still wants Boeing in the game. Competition breeds resilience, and the Starliner was built to ensure U.S. astronauts never lack transport to space. But certification is no longer a timeline—it’s a test of viability.
If Boeing clears the hurdles in 2025 and launches a clean, issue-free flight by early 2026, Starliner can finally assume its role. If not, the program may shift from promise to postmortem.
