The ramifications of the problematic Boeing Crew Test Flight are becoming clear a month after the Starliner returned to Earth empty. NASA announced on Tuesday that its 2025 Commercial Crew Program missions will exclusively use SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. With the Boeing Starliner unavailable for the foreseeable future, NASA also conceded that it will rely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
Thruster problems plagued the Starliner’s crewed test flight from start to finish. A Teflon coating around thruster values was melting and extruding out of the jet, eventually rendering the thruster inoperable. The Boeing Starliner still isn’t certified to fly, which was the ultimate goal of the test flight. The path to certification will likely be rocky. When asked about the spacecraft’s status, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said, “It’s under data review. We need to have a decision: do we need another test flight?”
NASA won’t use the Starliner for any operational mission to the International Space Station next year. The agency stated that Crew-10 and Crew-11 missions in 2025 will use SpaceX vehicles. However, the space agency hasn’t completely shut the door on the troubled craft. NASA’s update stated:
The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness.
Meanwhile, NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification, including windows of opportunity for a potential Starliner flight in 2025.
Despite all the dilemmas created by Starliner, NASA isn’t giving up on the Boeing spacecraft anytime soon. The space agency desperately needs the launch capacity and an astronomical amount of money has already been sunk into the project. NASA spent $5 billion on the Starliner’s development. Many at the agency, including stranded astronaut Barry Wilmore, believe that when Starliner will be ready is more important than whether.