NASA will order two additional Boeing Starliner crewed missions and fund thruster repairs as the agency prepares for the retirement of SpaceX's Crew Dragon by 2030. Despite a history of failures, including thruster issues that nearly cost astronauts their lives during the 2024 first crewed flight, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has redirected support toward Boeing. The astronauts from that ill-fated flight, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were ultimately returned to Earth via SpaceX.

This pivot comes as SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell suggested Boeing should "step up and deliver," noting the government paid Boeing more than SpaceX to develop their human capsule. NASA has invested $5.1 billion in Boeing's Starliner program since 2010, compared to $3.1 billion for SpaceX's Crew Dragon. While SpaceX has successfully launched 13 crewed missions, Boeing's Starliner has struggled with numerous issues on uncrewed test flights.

NASA released a 311-page investigation report detailing design and engineering deficiencies, calling the decision-making culture "incompatible with human spaceflight." NASA is also providing support to certify the spacecraft's launch on a new rocket following the Atlas V retirement.