History of Boeing Starliner in Timeline

The Boeing Starliner is a reusable spacecraft designed to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations. Developed by Boeing under NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), it consists of a reusable crew capsule and an expendable service module.

1993: Boeing Prime Contractor for ISS

Since 1993, Boeing has served as the prime contractor for the US Orbital Segment of the International Space Station (ISS).

2000: Dual Engine Centaur brought back into service for Starliner missions after 2000

Although the Dual Engine Centaur had not been used since 2000 after the introduction of the more powerful Atlas V, it was brought back into service for Starliner missions to allow a gentler trajectory and ensure crew can return to Earth in case of a problem.

June 2010: CST-100 Unveiled

In June 2010, the name CST-100 was first used when the capsule was unveiled to the public. The acronym "CST" stands for Crew Space Transportation.

2010: Boeing unveils CST-100

In 2010, Boeing unveiled its entry into NASA's Commercial Crew Program competition: the CST-100, later known as Starliner. Boeing received initial funding of $18 million in the first round of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev 1) program.

September 2011: Airbag Drop Tests Completed

In September 2011, Boeing announced the completion of a set of ground drop tests in the Mojave Desert to validate the design of the airbag cushioning system for the Starliner.

October 2011: Lease of Orbiter Processing Facility

In October 2011, NASA announced that the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at Kennedy Space Center would be leased to Boeing for the manufacture and testing of Starliner.

2011: Boeing Awarded CCDev 2 Funding

In 2011, NASA awarded Boeing $92.3 million under CCDev 2 for further development.

2011: Validation Tests Begin

In 2011, various validation tests began on test articles.

April 2012: Parachute Testing

In April 2012, Boeing dropped a mock-up of its Starliner over the Nevada desert, successfully testing the craft's three main landing parachutes.

2012: Boeing Awarded CCiCap Funding

In 2012, NASA awarded Boeing $460 million under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program.

2013: Boeing Awarded CPC Funding

In 2013, NASA awarded Boeing $9.9 million under the Certification Products Contract (CPC).

September 2014: NASA expected to announce CCtCap contract winner

In September 2014, NASA was expected to announce its selection for the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract.

September 16, 2014: Boeing and SpaceX awarded CCtCap contracts

On September 16, 2014, NASA announced that both Boeing and SpaceX would be awarded Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts to develop crewed spacecraft. Boeing received US$4.2 billion to complete and certify the Starliner.

2014: NASA awards Boeing contract

In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a US$4.2 billion contract to develop and operate Starliner, while SpaceX received $2.6 billion for Crew Dragon.

2014: Astronauts Assigned as Consultants for Boeing and SpaceX

In 2014, after the award of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract, NASA assigned a team of astronauts to serve as consultants to engineers at both Boeing and SpaceX.

November 2015: Boeing dropped from CRS competition

In November 2015, NASA announced that it had dropped Boeing from consideration in the separate multibillion-dollar Commercial Resupply Services competition to fly cargo to the International Space Station.

2015: Planned operational date

Boeing expressed optimism that the Starliner could be operational as early as 2015, contingent upon timely approvals and funding.

May 2016: Test schedule slips

In May 2016, Boeing reported that its test schedule would slip by eight months to reduce the spacecraft's mass, address aerodynamics issues and meet new NASA software requirements.

2016: Contract change for Boeing

In 2016, a change to Boeing's contract occurred, with NASA agreeing to pay an additional $287.2 million above Boeing's fixed prices for Boeing's third through sixth crewed missions.

2017: Atlas V Rocket Assembled

By the end of 2017, the booster for the Orbital Flight Test, an Atlas V N22 rocket, was assembled at United Launch Alliance's (ULA) facility in Decatur, Alabama.

2017: Original Starliner Operational Date

Originally, Starliner was planned to be operational in 2017 but was repeatedly delayed due to management and engineering issues.

2017: Starliner mission originally scheduled for 2017

The Starliner mission, which eventually launched in 2024, was originally scheduled for 2017 but faced delays due to parachute system issues and wiring concerns.

April 5, 2018: First planned flight delayed

On April 5, 2018, NASA announced that the first planned two-person flight, originally slated for November 2018, was likely to occur in 2019 or 2020.

June 2018: Hot-Fire Test Incident

In June 2018, a design flaw led to the release of toxic monomethylhydrazine propellant during a hot-fire test, resulting in a fireball. Boeing withheld information about this incident from NASA and the astronauts.

October 2018: Unpiloted orbital mission delayed

In October 2018, the first unpiloted orbital mission was delayed to April 2019, and the first crew launch was rescheduled to August 2019.

November 2018: Original first planned flight

The first planned two-person flight was originally slated for November 2018, but was later delayed.

March 2019: Further Test Flight Delays

In March 2019, Reuters reported that these test flights had been delayed by at least three months.

April 2019: Unpiloted Orbital Mission Scheduled

In April 2019, Boeing announced that the unpiloted orbital mission was scheduled for August 2019.

May 2019: Hot-Fire Testing Completed

In May 2019, all major hot-fire testing, including simulations of low-altitude abort-thruster testing, was completed using a "flight-like" service module test article.

August 2019: Crew launch rescheduled

In October 2018, the first crew launch was rescheduled to August 2019.

November 4, 2019: Pad Abort Test

On November 4, 2019, a pad abort test took place. One of the three parachutes failed to deploy, but landing was deemed safe, and the test a success.

November 2019: Report reveals contract change

In November 2019, NASA's Office of Inspector General released a report revealing that a change to Boeing's contract had occurred in 2016.

December 2019: Starliner's First Uncrewed Orbital Flight Test

In December 2019, the first uncrewed Orbital Flight Test of the Starliner was conducted but deemed a partial failure.

December 20, 2019: Boeing Orbital Flight Test Launch

On December 20, 2019, the uncrewed Boeing Orbital Flight Test (OFT) launched, bearing an Anthropomorphic Test Device and a Plush toy of Jedediah Kerman from Kerbal Space Program. It was later declared a partial failure.

2019: Validation Tests on Spacecraft

In 2019, validation tests continued on actual spacecraft.

2019: Orbital Flight Test scheduled

The Orbital Flight Test was scheduled for spring 2019.

January 2020: Boeing plans for three Starliner capsules with reuse capability in January 2020

As of January 2020, Boeing planned to have three Boeing Starliner capsules in service to fulfill the needs of the Commercial Crew Program, with each capsule expected to be reusable up to ten times with a six-month refurbishment time.

April 6, 2020: Boeing to fly a second uncrewed demonstration mission

On April 6, 2020, Boeing officials announced that the Starliner crew capsule would undergo a second uncrewed demonstration mission, Boeing Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2), before carrying astronauts. NASA accepted Boeing's recommendation for this second unpiloted mission. Boeing also stated it would fund this unplanned test flight at no cost to taxpayers.

August 2020: Crew module for OFT-2 mission begins acceptance testing

In August 2020, the crew module for the OFT-2 mission began undergoing acceptance testing, which is designed to validate the spacecraft's systems before mating it with its service module, according to NASA.

August 25, 2020: Boeing to use only two Starliner capsules for all planned missions

On August 25, 2020, Boeing announced it would alternate between just two capsules for all planned Starliner missions instead of three.

August 25, 2020: Boeing sets stage for crewed Starliner demo, modifies docking system, and reduces capsule fleet

On August 25, 2020, Boeing announced plans for the first Starliner demonstration mission with astronauts in mid-2021. They also modified the Starliner docking system to include a re-entry cover and installed the OFT-2 spacecraft's propellant heater, thermal-protection tiles, and airbags. Boeing also announced on August 25, 2020, they would alternate between just two capsules for all planned Starliner missions instead of three.

November 10, 2020: Second orbital flight test delayed due to software issues

On November 10, 2020, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich announced that the second orbital flight test would be delayed until the first quarter of 2021 due to software issues.

November 2020: Second orbital flight test expected in October or November 2020

In November 2020, The Washington Post reported that the second orbital flight test of Starliner, with objectives similar to the first, was expected to launch from Cape Canaveral sometime in October or November 2020.

2020: Recommendations Addressed

Following the partial failure of the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test in December 2019, company officials said in 2020 that they were addressing 80 of the recommendations made by the NASA–Boeing investigation.

2020: Likely Flight

The first planned two-person flight was likely to occur in 2020, after being delayed.

March 2021: OFT-2 uncrewed test flight scheduled for March 2021

In March 2021, the OFT-2 uncrewed test flight was scheduled, with the crewed flight targeted for launch the following summer.

August 2021: Issues detected with Starliner propulsion system, launch cancelled

In August 2021, during the launch window, issues were detected with 13 propulsion-system valves in the Starliner spacecraft prior to launch. Attempts to fix the problem on the launchpad and at the VIF failed, and Boeing decided to return the spacecraft to the factory, thus cancelling the launch.

August 2021: OFT-2 launch date moves to August 2021

In August 2021, the launch date of OFT-2 moved again, with the earliest estimated launch date set for August 2021.

September 2021: Root cause of Starliner propulsion issue undetermined, flight delayed indefinitely

By late September 2021, Boeing had not determined the root cause of the propulsion system issue, and the Starliner flight was delayed indefinitely.

October 2021: Plans announced for Orbital Reef commercial space station

In October 2021, Blue Origin, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada Corporation announced plans for a commercial space station called Orbital Reef, which could be serviced by both Starliner and Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft.

October 2021: NASA and Boeing working towards launch opportunities in first half of 2022

Through October 2021, NASA and Boeing continued to make progress on resolving issues with the Starliner and were "working toward launch opportunities in the first half of 2022".

December 2021: Boeing to replace Starliner service module, anticipates OFT-2 in May 2022

In December 2021, Boeing decided to replace the entire service module of the Starliner and anticipated OFT-2 to occur in May 2022.

2021: Crewed Atlas V missions employ older Aerojet Rocketdyne SRBs since 2021

Since 2021, most Atlas V launches have used the newer Northrop Grumman GEM63 SRBs. However, these boosters are not rated for human spaceflight. Therefore, crewed missions employ the older Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-60A SRBs.

May 2022: OFT-2 anticipated to occur in May 2022

In December 2021, Boeing anticipated OFT-2 to occur in May 2022, after deciding to replace the entire service module of the Starliner.

May 2022: Second Orbital Flight Test

In May 2022, a second Orbital Flight Test was conducted after the first one failed.

May 19, 2022: OFT-2 mission launched on May 19, 2022, carrying Rosie the Rocketeer

On May 19, 2022, the OFT-2 mission launched, carrying Rosie the Rocketeer test dummy suited in the blue Boeing inflight spacesuit. Two Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control (OMAC) thrusters failed during the orbital insertion burn, but the spacecraft compensated using remaining OMAC and Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters. A couple of RCS thrusters also failed during docking and some thermal systems showed extra cold temperatures.

May 22, 2022: Starliner capsule docked with the International Space Station on May 22, 2022

On May 22, 2022, the Starliner capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station.

May 25, 2022: Starliner capsule returned from space and landed successfully on May 25, 2022

On May 25, 2022, the Starliner capsule returned from space and landed successfully. During reentry, one of the navigation systems lost communication with GPS satellites, which was not unexpected.

May 6, 2024: Starliner launch attempt scrubbed on May 6, 2024, due to oxygen valve problem

On May 6, 2024, a Starliner launch attempt was scrubbed due to an oxygen valve problem on the rocket.

June 2024: Starliner's Crew Flight Test and Thruster Malfunction

In June 2024, the Starliner's thrusters malfunctioned on approach to the ISS during the Crew Flight Test.

August 2024: Boeing Commits to Continuing Starliner

In August 2024, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg committed to continuing the Starliner program after setbacks during the Crew Flight Test.

September 2024: Uncrewed Landing After Crew Flight Test

In September 2024, the Starliner landed uncrewed after NASA deemed it too risky to return astronauts to Earth aboard the spacecraft following thruster malfunctions during the Crew Flight Test.

2024: United Launch Alliance ceases Atlas V production in 2024

In 2024, United Launch Alliance ceased production of the Atlas V rocket, which is used for Starliner flights, after producing vehicles for all remaining contracted launches. The vehicles have been allocated to customers, including the six needed for the remaining Starliner flights.

February 2025: Boeing's Starliner budget exceeds target

By February 2025, Boeing's Starliner program exceeded its budget by at least $2 billion.

February 2025: Budget overruns

Despite being initially awarded significantly more funding, Boeing faced substantial budget overruns for the Starliner program, exceeding $2 billion as of February 2025.