Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

Boeing Starliner test flight delayed once again

By
Technicians observe Boeing’s Starliner crew module being placed on top of the service module in the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 14, 2021. The Starliner spacecraft is being prepared for Boeing’s second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2). As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, OFT-2 is a critical developmental milestone on the company’s path to fly crew missions for NASA.
Technicians observe Boeing’s Starliner crew module being placed on top of the service module in the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 14, 2021. The Starliner spacecraft is being prepared for Boeing’s second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2). As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, OFT-2 is a critical developmental milestone on the company’s path to fly crew missions for NASA. Boeing/John Proferes

The second orbital test flight of the Boeing Starliner has been delayed again. The Starliner is designed to ferry astronauts between the Earth and the International Space Station (ISS) and will perform its uncrewed test flight next month.

The Starliner test flight was already delayed last month. Originally scheduled for this month, the test flight is now planned for April.

Recommended Videos

NASA says this delay is due to both the recent winter storms in Houston and the need to replace avionics boxes, causing a delay of two weeks. There is also a need to coordinate with the schedule of the ISS, as there is be both a Soyuz launch and a Crew Dragon mission scheduled for the station in April.

“Boeing and NASA have worked extremely hard to support an early-April launch but we need to assess alternatives to ensure NASA’s safety work can be accomplished. NASA and Boeing know we fly together,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in a statement. “Boeing has done an incredible amount of work on Starliner to be ready for flight and we’ll provide an update soon on when we expect to launch the OFT-2 mission.”

The Starliner has suffered from problems during its development, like its first orbital test flight in December 2019 when the craft failed to reach the ISS as planned. In addition, later testing showed a software issue that could have lead to the loss of the craft. Boeing and NASA have been working to fix these issues and get the Starliner ready for its next test, but the process has been a long one.

“I’m grateful for the extraordinary work being undertaken by our NASA partners as we progress towards our OFT-2 mission,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “And I’m very proud of the Boeing Starliner team for working so diligently to get the hardware, software, and certification closure products ready for flight. We’re committed to demonstrating the safety and quality of our spacecraft and progressing to our crewed test flight and the missions beyond.”

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
NASA to announce decision about stuck Starliner astronauts tomorrow
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

NASA is holding a press conference Saturday, August 24, to announce a decision on how to bring home two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station.

After been more than two months since the Boeing Starliner launched on what was supposed to be a one-week mission. Following both helium leaks (which were known about before the launch) and problems with the thrusters (which weren't), the Starliner's two test pilots -- NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams -- have stayed aboard the International Space Station as NASA and Boeing officials assess if and when it will be safe for them to travel back to Earth.

Read more
NASA answers all of your questions on the troubled Starliner mission
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docked at the space station.

NASA has updated an FAQ page on its website with the latest information on the state of Boeing Space’s beleaguered Starliner mission.

With so much speculation surrounding the state of the spacecraft, the page offers a definitive guide on where the mission is at right now.

Read more
Stuck Starliner astronauts could be brought home on a SpaceX Dragon
Boeing Space's Starliner docked at the International Space Station in June 2024.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to be on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first crewed test flight of the Boeing Starliner. But problems with the Starliner's thrusters have meant that, while they did arrive safely, NASA officials have been hesitant for them to use the vehicle to return to Earth, and the pair have now been in space for over two months. Now, the pair could travel home in a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle in February 2025.

NASA has previously said it was focused on getting the astronauts home using the Starliner. But as the problems with the vehicle have dragged on, the agency is now considering using a different vehicle for their safe return.

Read more