Boeing's Starliner to fly uncrewed late 2026 or early 2027
Boeing's Starliner is getting ready for an uncrewed test flight in late 2026 or early 2027.
This comes after its first crewed trip to the International Space Station ran into technical trouble, forcing a delay and sending astronauts home on SpaceX's Crew Dragon instead.
The upcoming flight will help Boeing double-check new fixes before anyone else climbs aboard.
Starliner thruster failures prompted 61 improvements
During its 2024 crewed mission, Starliner had thruster problems that kept astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stuck in space much longer than planned.
NASA reviewed what happened and handed Boeing a hefty list of improvements, 61 in total.
Since then, Boeing has upgraded the spacecraft's thrusters, batteries, parachutes, and more.
NASA is also working to certify a new rocket option for future flights.
If all goes well, Starliner could be flying people again by 2028, giving SpaceX some company in orbit.