Boeing's Starliner may fly again, pending fixes to literally everything

More than 70 percent of anomalies closed out, but those pesky thrusters are still a problem

Updated NASA says Boeing's Starliner – dubbed the Calamity Capsule – could fly again, but not before the end of 2025 or start of 2026.

The CST-100 Starliner capsule returned to Earth last year with its tail between its legs. It was the capsule's first crewed mission, but the flight was dogged with issues, including problems with thrusters. Managers eventually decided that the safest course of action was to leave the crew on the International Space Station (ISS).

The vehicle made a successful landing without a crew, and in the months since, NASA and Boeing tried to work out what went wrong and how to fix it.

According to NASA, "more than 70 percent of flight observations and flight anomalies" have been closed. However, the space agency noted that "the major in-flight propulsion system anomalies Starliner experienced in orbit are expected to remain open further into 2025."

Neither NASA nor Boeing responded to a request from The Register regarding what that "more than 70 percent" actually was. Perhaps sticky cupholders?

The issues that caused the most consternation during June's crewed mission were related to the thrusters and leaky helium seals. NASA and Boeing are planning a campaign of tests through spring and summer, which will include firing key Starliner thrusters within a single service module doghouse.

The "doghouse" is the housing for the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters on Starliner's service module.

Engineers plan to use the testing to validate thermal models as well as upgrades to the system. One upgrade will involve adding thermal barriers within the doghouse to regulate temperatures better. The in-flight thruster pulse profiles will also be tweaked to prevent overheating.

Several new helium system seal options are also being tested to mitigate the risk of future leaks.

All of this is aimed toward crew certification of the CST-100 Starliner system. NASA said: "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."

We've asked NASA and Boeing to indicate who exactly would be paying for the next flight.

If managers are working on the assumption that the next mission will be post-certification, it seems unlikely that another test flight will be requested unless something arises during testing. The program has already cost Boeing more than $2 billion, and beancounters at the aerospace giant will want to staunch the flow of cash. ®

Updated to add

NASA and Boeing have both responded to The Register's questions.

Boeing told us it had nothing more to share at this time. A NASA spokesperson directed us to Boeing for the inflight anomalies list "since it is their spacecraft."

The NASA spokesperson continued, "As to the next flight, there are a number of elements that will be decided before the details of the flight will be laid out. Steve Stich [Program Manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program] noted that it will involve a crew-capable spacecraft, regardless of whether it carries crew or only cargo.

"That means that the spacecraft will launch with the systems active that would be needed for a crewed mission. Whether or not astronauts will be aboard has not been decided yet nor has the exact timeline.

"The teams are continuing to work on certification and we will release more information on that as it develops."