# NASA Advances Starliner Certification

NASA and Boeing announced on September 28, 2026, that an uncrewed Starliner-1 engineering flight is planned for December 2026 or January 2027 to test propulsion and other upgrades following technical problems on the 2024 flight. The results will inform certification for crewed missions, currently targeted to resume with Starliner-2 by mid-2028, subject to successful testing and corrective actions. NASA also plans to exercise existing contract options for two additional Boeing crew flights to the International Space Station and is working with Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to certify ULA’s Vulcan rocket for Starliner after Atlas V’s final flight. The announcements indicate continued NASA demand for commercial crew and launch capabilities, but identify no new solicitation or contract value.

- NASA’s planned fifth and sixth Starliner missions rely on existing contract options; the signals do not describe a new competitive procurement or open solicitation.
- Boeing and ULA remain central to the program’s next milestones: Starliner system testing and Vulcan launch-vehicle certification. Suppliers may find relevance in capabilities supporting propulsion upgrades, testing, launch integration, and certification, though no specific subcontract opportunities are announced.
- Contractors should account for the conditional schedule: the uncrewed test is planned for December 2026–January 2027, while crewed flights are targeted for 2028 only if testing and certification are completed.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Transportation
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles
**Published:** October 01, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

### Vendors
- Boeing (Prime contractor)
- United Launch Alliance (ULA) (Launch provider; working to integrate and certify Vulcan for Starliner)

### Key Quotes
> We have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations
> — Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

> With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our highest priority, we will test Starliner’s propulsion system through targeted demonstration objectives and disciplined operational controls.
> — Dana Weigel, Manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program

### Sources
- [Beyond Sunk Cost: Re-Evaluating the Starliner Program

Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dr. Joel P. Rutkowski

Executive Summary

NASA and Boeing announced on September 28, 2026,  ( https://t.co/VDFVUjlO7X) that Starliner will fly uncrewed in the December 2026–January 2027 window, with ](https://x.com/RutkowskiDr/status/2105048611847340424) - twitter-agency
- [NASA, Boeing Share Update on Commercial Starliner Development Plans - NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-boeing-share-update-on-commercial-starliner-development-plans/) - NASA
- [NASA Sets Boeing Starliner Flight Return Plan](https://www.executivegov.com/articles/nasa-boeing-starliner-return-to-flight-ula) - ExecutiveGov