Nasa cut back the number of Starliner flights from 6 to 4.
The US and the world closely followed the drama of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, from the maiden crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner, who ended up staying 9 months stranded in Space after the troubled capsule was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.
Here at TGP we followed the developments, beginning with apathy from the Joe Biden administration from hell, as you can read in Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams Have Been in Space for Three Weeks Due to Problems With Boeing Starliner, but NASA Insists They Are NOT Stranded.
Just as soon as he was reelected President of the United States, Donald J. Trump tasked Elon Musk to use his SpaceX to rescue the pair.
EPIC! Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely splash down on the Gulf of America after being stranded in space!
Thank you @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/oZ2yI5FOkf
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 18, 2025
A triumphant return for Astronaut Butch Wilmore.
Welcome home. pic.twitter.com/zsIZN7vkAh
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 18, 2025
Once the rescue by SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft was done, doubts remained about the viability of the costly Boeing project of the Starliner, as you can read in NASA Keeps Boeing’s Uncertified Starliner Spacecraft Grounded Until 2026, Unclear if Next Mission Will Be Crewed or Just Cargo.
But now, the suspense is over, as news arises that NASA ended months of speculation, confirming Monday that the Starliner will carry only cargo to the International Space Station.
Ars Technica reported:
“NASA and Boeing are now targeting no earlier than April 2026 to fly the uncrewed Starliner-1 mission, the space agency said. Launching by next April will require completion of rigorous test, certification, and mission readiness activities, NASA added in a statement.
‘NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year’, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a statement.”
NASA Statement. Contract with Boeing modified to four Starliner flights. April 2026 mission with an uncrewed Starliner, followed by three crewed flights if that goes well.
>In 2014, NASA awarded a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to Boeing to fly astronauts to… pic.twitter.com/chK0okkHSX
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) November 24, 2025
“NASA also said it has reached an agreement with Boeing to modify the Commercial Crew contract, signed in 2014, that called for six crewed flights to the space station following certification of the spacecraft. Now the plan is to fly Starliner-1 carrying cargo, and then up to three additional missions before the space station is retired.”
NASA Statement. Contract with Boeing modified to four Starliner flights. April 2026 mission with an uncrewed Starliner, followed by three crewed flights if that goes well.
>In 2014, NASA awarded a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to Boeing to fly astronauts to… pic.twitter.com/chK0okkHSX
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) November 24, 2025
“In 2014, @NASA awarded a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to Boeing to fly astronauts to and from the @Space_Station with its Starliner spacecraft. As part of its contract, Boeing was awarded up to six crewed flights to the orbital complex.
After a thorough evaluation, NASA and Boeing have mutually agreed to modify the contract. As part of the modification, the definitive order has been adjusted to four missions, with the remaining two available as options.
The next Starliner flight, known as Starliner-1, will be used by NASA to deliver necessary cargo to the orbital laboratory and allow in-flight validation of the system upgrades implemented following the Crew Flight Test mission last year.
NASA and Boeing are targeting no earlier than April 2026 to fly the uncrewed Starliner-1 pending completion of rigorous test, certification, and mission readiness activities.”
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