NASA Scales Back Boeing Starliner Missions, Next One Rated Cargo Only

NASA has announced that when Boeing's Starliner heads to the International Space Station in April 2026, it will be rated for cargo only. It will carry much-needed supplies to the ISS, but crucially, not crew. This follows the last Starliner mission, which experienced a thruster issue and was unable to return its two-person crew safely to Earth, prompting an extended stay on the station—and a dramatic return aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a contract to develop the Starliner crew transport vehicle, with a fixed price of $4.2 billion to cover development and six flights to the station. After years of delays and failed launch attempts, Starliner completed a cargo mission in 2022. Then came its first crewed test mission in 2024, which ultimately ended with stranded astronauts and a spacecraft that was largely unusable.

Starliner is already more than $2 billion over ...