Schedule Changes, Boeing Confirms Starliner Mission Brings NASA Astronauts to ISS Station in April 2023

The Starliner mission with NASA crew will be carried out in April 2023. (photo: twitter @BoeingSpace)

JAKARTA - Boeing's first Starliner capsule mission to carry humans has missed its original schedule from February to April 2023, when the company worked with NASA to fix technical problems remaining from the spacecraft's last test flight.

According to the US space agency, Thursday, November 3, the long-awaited Starliner Mission that brought a crew of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station is the final step before the spacecraft can be certified for routine flights, and will mark a pivotal moment for the space unit. Boeing's spaceship as it struggles to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

#Starliner's Crew Flight Test is now targeted to launch in April 2023 to meet @Space_Station scheduling needs.

Progress continues with Butch Wilmore, @Astro_Suni & @AstroIronMike completing a Crew Validation Test with the Starliner team.

More: https://t.co/cqp0Sid8JL pic.twitter.com/wXjJnjfSbw

— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) November 3, 2022

NASA said the date adjustment did not conflict with spacecraft visits to the space station as NASA and Boeing worked together to achieve flight readiness."

The Boeing Starliner, a bubblegum pod of astronauts launched aboard a rocket, completed its first unmanned test flight to the space station last May, and resumed a 2019 flight that was interrupted by software glitches and technical failures.

Although Starliner successfully demonstrated the docking of the space station last May, Boeing encountered some technical problems with the spacecraft during a mission that it is currently repairing to NASA's satisfaction.

According to the space agency, Boeing and NASA are working on various verification efforts on several critical systems that will be used to certify Starliner crew flights.

"Researching the Starliner's parachute and software are two of the most time-consuming issues NASA and Boeing face ahead of crewed flight tests," NASA Commercial Space Flight Director Phil McAlister said Monday, November 31, quoted by Reuters.

Boeing developed the Starliner under a NASA contract at a fixed price of about $4.2 billion awarded in 2014, covering six operational missions of the Starliner. NASA has a similar contract with SpaceX, whose rival capsule Crew Dragon has flown six manned flights for the agency since 2020.

Illustrating the difficulties Boeing faced with its fixed-price contract program, the company's Starliner contract has ballooned to an estimated $4.5 billion, and setbacks with the spacecraft have cost Boeing nearly $900 million since 2019.