After being sidelined, Boeing's Starliner to get starring role in NASA's spaceflight plans

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:17:47 +0000

Multiple sources confirmed to Ars that as early as next week, NASA will announce that it will order two additional Starliner crewed missions from Boeing, pay some of the costs to fix the spacecraft’s thruster issues, and provide support to certify the spacecraft’s launch on a new rocket. NASA is taking these steps after SpaceX made clear in discussions with space agency officials in recent months that it intends to retire the Crew Dragon vehicle by 2030, if not before. Crew Dragon is presently the only operational spacecraft NASA has available for routine astronaut missions to low-Earth orbit.

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After being sidelined, Boeing's Starliner to get starring role in NASA's spaceflight plans