Boeing to redesign Starliner parts for 2028 crewed flight, NASA says

NASA planned to redesign parts of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft before a planned 2028 crewed mission to the International Space Station, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told a press conference on Monday. The changes include modifications to the service-module thrusters and installation of new crew-module thrusters, along with upgrades to the spacecraft’s batteries and parachute system, Isaacman said.

NASA is targeting December 2026 at the earliest for the uncrewed Starliner-1 mission, which will use a Boeing Starliner spacecraft to deliver cargo to the space station and test the upgrades. The mission will help NASA assess changes made after Starliner’s troubled 2024 crewed test flight, when propulsion problems led the agency to return the spacecraft without its astronauts.