NASA and Boeing plan more Starliner missions, certify new rocket

NASA and Boeing announced plans to add at least two more Starliner spacecraft flights to the International Space Station, while also beginning certification of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket for future crewed launches. The update follows findings from an investigation into Starliner's previously reported thruster issues, with Boeing implementing hardware changes to address them. An uncrewed test flight, Starliner-1, will validate these improvements before crewed missions resume, aiming for astronauts to return on Starliner-2 by 2028.

• NASA plans at least two additional Starliner flights
• Uncrewed Starliner-1 test flight will validate upgrades
• Starliner thruster problems led to hardware changes
• Certification for Vulcan rocket as new launcher begins
• Astronauts to return on Starliner-2, targeted for 2028