Butch Wilmore

NASA is increasing its support for Boeing's troubled Starliner astronaut capsule as the agency works to return the spacecraft to flight. The effort follows the widely covered mission in which astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left without a Starliner ride home, forcing an extended stay on the International Space Station while their capsule returned uncrewed.

NASA is increasing its support for Boeing's Starliner capsule as the spacecraft works toward returning to flight, with a cargo-only mission to the International Space Station planned next. A crewed test flight is targeted for around 2028. The push follows the widely criticized 2024 test flight that left astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stranded on the station for months while their capsule returned empty over safety concerns.

NASA is stepping up support for Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule as the company works to return the spacecraft to flight. The Starliner suffered so many problems during its 2024 test flight that its two pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were left stranded aboard the International Space Station for nearly a year, with NASA eventually bringing them home on a SpaceX capsule. The push to fix the troubled capsule has drawn renewed attention to Boeing's struggles in its commercial crew programme.