posted 03-27-2025 04:33 PM               

NASA, Boeing Prepare for Starliner Testing

NASA and Boeing are making progress toward crew certification of the company's CST-100 Starliner system following the Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Joint teams are working to resolve Starliner's in-flight anomalies and preparing for propulsion system testing in the months ahead as NASA plans for Starliner's next flight.

"NASA's strategy for crew transportation is critical for assured access to space using American private industry," said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Our investment in commercial crew transportation capabilities is providing the needed flexibility to operate in space as safely as possible and respond to changes quickly when they arise. NASA is seeing the commitment from Boeing to adding the Starliner system to the nation's crew transportation base."

In the months following the safe return of the uncrewed Starliner capsule from the International Space Station, NASA and Boeing have worked on postflight data analysis from its crewed flight test. There has been a significant amount of work completed, with more than 70% of flight observations and in-flight anomalies being closed at program-level control boards. The major in-flight propulsion system anomalies Starliner experienced in orbit are expected to remain open further into 2025, pending the outcome of various ground test campaigns and potential system upgrades.

NASA and Boeing are working to finalize the scope and timelines for various propulsion system test campaigns and analysis that is targeted throughout the spring and summer. Testing at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico will include integrated firing of key Starliner thrusters within a single service module doghouse to validate detailed thermal models and inform potential propulsion and spacecraft thermal protection system upgrades, as well as operational solutions for future flights. These solutions include adding thermal barriers within the doghouse to better regulate temperatures and changing the thruster pulse profiles in flight to prevent overheating. Meanwhile, teams are continuing testing of new helium system seal options to mitigate the risk of future leaks.

"Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight," said Steve Stich, manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "We'll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year and then go figure out where Starliner fits best in the schedule for the International Space Station and its crew and cargo missions. It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight."

Mission managers are planning for the next Starliner flight to be a crew capable post-certification mission, and NASA also has the capability of flying only cargo depending on the needs of the agency.