--- title: "NASA Abandons Boeing’s Cursed Starliner for Upcoming Missions to the Space Station" description: "NASA seems to be saying \"Sayonara\" to Boeing's accursed Starliner spacecraft — at least for the foreseeable future." date: "2024-10-17" modified: "2024-10-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-abandons-starliner-upcoming-missions" categories: - "Boeing" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "iss" - "NASA" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # NASA Abandons Boeing’s Cursed Starliner for Upcoming Missions to the Space Station ![NASA seems to be saying "Sayonara" to Boeing's accursed Starliner spacecraft — at least for the foreseeable future.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Bye Bye Baby NASA seems to be saying "Sayonara" to Boeing's accursed Starliner — at least for the foreseeable future. As [*SpaceNews* reports](), an agency official demurred when asked about a mission update from earlier this week that appeared to put the leaky craft on ice after its [disastrous first rollout]() left two astronauts [stranded on the International Space Station](). Earlier this week, NASA [announced]() that its upcoming crew rotation missions dubbed Crew-10 and Crew-11 to the ISS will make use of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, which was developed under the same Commercial Crew program as Boeing's plagued Starliner. As *SpaceNews* points out, the former mission was initially meant to involve Starliner, which has yet to be certified for flight. Whether that means the space agency has given up on Starliner for good remains unclear at best, but it's certainly not a vote of confidence in the aerospace giant's spacecraft. In its announcement, NASA said that "the timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established." During a press conference the following day at the annual [International Astronautical Congress]() in Milan, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy seemed to reiterate that sentiment — and then some. "It’s under data review," Melroy told *SpaceNews*. "We need to have a decision: do we need another test flight?" That does appear to be the elephant in the room since NASA [brought the malfunctioning Boeing craft back down]() to Earth last month [sans its precious cargo]() — even as the agency deals with getting those two humans home. ## Homeward Bound In its statement, NASA re-emphasized that Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are slated to [come back to Earth]() in February on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that docked ([successfully, we might add]()) with the ISS in late September. After the Boeing craft crapped out in [a number of ways](), NASA has been playing a space age game of musical chairs, trying to find a way to bring the Starliner astronauts home. NASA has had to make some tough calls — including [leaving behind two disgruntled women]() who were supposed to hitch a ride on the same Crew-9 mission that's going to bring Wilmore and Williams back. As far as worst-case scenarios go, Boeing's accursed Starliner [could obviously have gone worse](). Sort of going the route of the [Challenger explosion](), however, this is a pretty screwed-up debacle that has caused some [massive headaches]() and [embarrassment on all sides](). Worse yet, as *SpaceNews* reports, NASA administrator Bill Nelson admitted this week that the agency may have to [continue relying on Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft]() in the years to come, an awkward confession given the [sheer amount of resources]() it has poured into its Commercial Crew program. **More on the ISS:** [*NASA Says It’s Totally Fine the Space Station is Absolutely Riddled With Cracks and Leaks*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()