GoKawiilNASA pays Boeing $359M more, orders two extra Starliner crew flights
NASA announced it will exercise options for two additional crewed Starliner missions and provide Boeing $359 million to rebuild overheating reaction control thrusters and certify ULA's Vulcan rocket for astronaut flights. The funding comes on top of $5.1 billion already paid under the fixed-price Commercial Crew contract, after Starliner's 2024 crewed test flight nearly ended in disaster due to thruster failures.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted SpaceX plans to retire Falcon and Dragon as it shifts to Starship, meaning NASA may need Starliner operational to keep access to low-Earth orbit. The extra payment suggests Boeing, which has lost over $2 billion on the program, might otherwise have abandoned Starliner, so this support could be read as NASA underwriting the program's survival rather than Boeing absorbing further costs itself.
- NASA will pay Boeing an additional $359 million for thruster fixes and Vulcan rocket crew certification.
- Two more crewed Starliner missions have been added to NASA's order.
- The move follows concerns that SpaceX will retire Dragon, leaving Starliner as a needed backup crew vehicle.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-28
Published there as: “Boeing "incredibly excited" to serve as nation's only astronaut transportation”
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