NASA has officially revealed that it was moving towards certifying Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner for crewed flights by the end of this year or early 2026.
This move was followed by its inaugural mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was marred by a system fault, forcing a delay in stay.
The agency is currently preparing with Boeing to resolve the Starliner's faulty propulsion system.
Related: NASA astronauts safely return to Earth after nine months
NASA launched an eight-day crewed mission to stretch into a nine-month stay in space for stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams.
Both the stranded astronauts returned to Earth earlier this month with Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
Joint teams are currently working to schedule the timelines for several propulsion system test campaigns, targeted throughout the summer and spring, as NASA is currently preparing for Starlink’s next flight.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich stated, the flight was expected to be in the time frame of late this year or early 2026.
Boeing’s effort to resolve the Starliner’s faulty propulsion system has been added to the aerospace giant’s thorny development of a spacecraft which has incurred $2 billion.
Related: NASA unveils plans for astronauts after 9-month space stint
