Boeing Starliner Could Go To Space Again Before The End Of 2025

Despite the issues that left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, NASA isn't giving up on the Boeing Starliner quite yet. The space agency announced on Thursday its plans to certify the problem-plagued spacecraft this year and potentially send the capsule back to orbit before 2026. It might seem desperate, but maybe NASA doesn't want its transportation to the ISS reliant on someone who threatened to destroy the station because an astronaut hurt his feelings.

NASA has been relatively transparent with the Starliner's woes. However, I'm still waiting for my accidental invitation to the engineers' group chat. The space agency stated that over 70 percent of flight observations and in-flight anomalies have been closed. It's an impressive amount of developmental progress, but NASA and Boeing still haven't fixed the thruster issues that forced the Starliner to return to Earth empty. Engineers realized during the Boeing Crew Test Flight that a Teflon coating was melting and blocking propellant flow through the thruster, which could cause a complete loss of control. However, there isn't another scheduled test flight for the spacecraft.

The Starliner's propulsion systems will undergo a rigorous testing campaign at the White Sands Test Facility over the spring and summer as engineers attempt to tackle helium leaks and overheating problems. Steve Stich, the Commerical Crew Program manager, said in a release:

"Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight. We'll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year and then go figure out where Starliner fits best in the schedule for the International Space Station and its crew and cargo missions. It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight."

The Starliner program seemed on the ropes over the past few months. Once the Starliner returned to the surface without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, reports emerged that Boeing was considering selling off its space division with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin floated at a potential buyer. The situation didn't seem any better after the Starliner's planned ISS missions this year were handed over to SpaceX, which is partially why the program isn't ending. Boeing wants to operate as many missions as possible to recoup some of the $2 billion lost on the overbudget Starliner.