NASA to update Starliner's ISS mission prospects at Sept. 28 briefing
NASA has scheduled a Sept. 28 news conference at Kennedy Space Center to discuss Boeing's Starliner and plans for regular crew missions to the ISS. Boeing's 2024 Crew Flight Test was disrupted by helium leaks and thruster problems, leaving its astronauts aboard the station until March 2025, when they returned on a SpaceX Dragon. NASA later classified the test as a Type A failure, and a recent report suggested the agency may award two more Starliner missions.
NASA’s Sept. 28 briefing, set for 3 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center, will feature agency and Boeing leaders including Jared Isaacman, Dana Weigel, Woody Hoburg, and John Mulholland. They will address Starliner’s path toward routine ISS crew rotations.
Starliner’s 2024 crew flight launched June 5 on an Atlas V with Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. Helium leaks and thruster faults extended their stay until March 2025, when a SpaceX Dragon brought them home. NASA labeled the test a Type A failure; reports suggest two additional Starliner missions may be considered.
The briefing’s outcome could shape confidence in NASA’s commercial crew strategy and Boeing’s role in human spaceflight. Astronauts, ISS partners, and researchers may feel effects through launch schedules and backup options, while taxpayers and industry watchers could see implications for costs, accountability, and competition. If Starliner gains more missions, it may strengthen redundancy; if not, SpaceX’s Dragon could remain the primary route, concentrating risk and attention.