NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman broke the news on Monday. The agency plans to send Boeing's Starliner back to the International Space Station. This marks the first operational use of the vessel since a catastrophic test flight left two astronauts stranded for nine months.
The previous mission in June 2024 was supposed to last eight to 14 days. Instead, propulsion system failures grounded the spacecraft, trapping astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore in orbit until early 2025. NASA's investigation classified the event a "Type A" mishap. That is the same severity designation used for the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters.
Isaacman told reporters the upcoming uncrewed flight will validate recent engineering remediations. "From there, we will gather data," he said, "and plan for a crewed Starliner Two mission in 2028." The timeline is tight. The first test must succeed to keep the program alive.
The stakes have never been higher for US crewed access to space. SpaceX has indicated it will end production of its reusable Crew Dragon capsules. Those ships have been the only other option for taking US astronauts to the ISS since 2020. If Starliner fails again, the US loses a critical redundancy in its orbital transport network.
The next launch window opens in December. NASA will monitor the uncrewed vehicle's performance closely. A smooth docking and return will clear the path for human flight in 2028.