NASA head Jared Isaacman has announced that a crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft is planned to take place by 2028. Speaking at a press conference in Florida in the United States, Isaacman outlined the updated timeline for the spacecraft, as reported by the SpaceNews portal.
Before astronauts board the capsule for the crewed flight, NASA plans to send Starliner to the International Space Station in 2027 in an uncrewed mode.
The announcement establishes a new path forward for the Starliner program, which is designed to carry crews to low Earth orbit and dock with the orbiting space station. Florida is home to major launch facilities, including NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA, formally known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is the executive branch agency of the United States federal government responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics research.
Inspector general report and leadership criticism
The updated timeline follows earlier scrutiny of the spacecraft project. In July, SpaceNews noted that a new report from NASA's inspector general pointed out problems with the crewed Starliner spacecraft program.
Isaacman has previously expressed strong criticism over how earlier phases of the project were handled. In February, Isaacman found those responsible for the failure of the last crewed Starliner spacecraft mission, blaming the agency's previous leadership for what happened.
The International Space Station is a multinational orbital research laboratory that orbits Earth and has been continuously inhabited by human crews for over two decades. Maintaining multiple crew launch options to the station has been a long-standing objective for American space exploration. SpaceNews is an established trade publication focusing on international space sector news and policy.
Preparations for space station missions
The plan detailed by Isaacman makes the 2027 uncrewed mission to the International Space Station a crucial precursor before human crews return to the vehicle. That uncrewed flight will test the Starliner spacecraft in operational orbital conditions.
If the uncrewed test flight meets its operational goals in 2027, NASA will proceed with preparations for the crewed launch targeted for 2028.
