One year after Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner's problematic crewed test flight, NASA remains uncertain about the spacecraft’s next mission, signaling potential issues with the vehicle’s future. A June 6th statement confirmed NASA is evaluating options for a Starliner flight, tentatively scheduled for early 2026, leaving open the question of whether it will be crewed or uncrewed. "NASA is assessing the earliest potential for a Starliner flight to the International Space Station in early 2026, pending system certification and resolution of Starliner’s technical issues,” the agency stated. “The agency is still evaluating whether Starliner’s next flight will be in a crew or cargo configuration.”

This uncertainty comes a year after Starliner docked with the ISS during the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, a docking achieved despite multiple thruster failures that initially jeopardized a safe arrival. These thruster issues, compounded by in-flight helium leaks, resulted in NASA's decision in August 2024 to return Starliner uncrewed, necessitating astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore's extended stay on the station until their return via a Crew Dragon in March. NASA's current statement mirrors its March announcement. Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, explained the agency’s intention to conduct a test flight, with or without astronauts, to validate Starliner modifications, followed by the Starliner-1 crew rotation mission. He indicated in a March 27 statement that the test flight was unlikely before late 2025 due to the ISS's busy schedule. NASA also projected that thruster problem reviews would extend throughout the year, given planned summer testing. "It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight,” Stich said.

In April, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel revealed that a decision on the next Starliner mission's crewed status remained pending, contingent on thruster testing results. NASA's recent statement acknowledges astronaut training for a post-certification mission, but clarifies that a full Starliner-1 crew hasn't been assigned yet. "NASA astronauts are training for a Starliner post-certification mission as the agency continues to review its forward plans and execute testing campaigns targeted throughout the spring and summer. However, the agency has not yet assigned a full Starliner-1 crew for focused training,” the statement read. NASA's five-year reliance on SpaceX for crew transport underscores the importance of having two operational commercial crew vehicles for redundancy, a point highlighted by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's brief threat to “decommission” Dragon in June 2025 during a dispute with President Trump (a threat swiftly retracted). This incident, though potentially unserious, exposed NASA's dependence on SpaceX.

However, budget constraints could jeopardize Starliner. The agency's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, released May 30, includes approximately 25% cuts to ISS operating and transportation budgets. "The budget will limit future vehicle changes and could impact NASA’s ability to maintain two crew transportation providers,” the budget document noted. Boeing, facing $2 billion in program charges, has remained largely silent on Starliner's future, fueling industry speculation of a potential withdrawal. Boeing executives have been notably absent from NASA briefings since the CFT mission’s conclusion. In a May 29 Aviation Week interview, Kelly Ortberg, Boeing's CEO, implied that Starliner's challenges negatively impacted the company's broader space portfolio. “I think some of the challenges we’ve had with Starliner have overshadowed our space portfolio,” he commented, contrasting Starliner with national security space projects. He suggested that Starliner’s future, along with other Boeing space initiatives, hinges on upcoming congressional budget decisions. “I think the manned space, commercial and NASA business is going to be dependent on where the budget goes and what the country wants to invest in those programs.”