Boeing’s Space Blunder Leaves NASA in Limbo as Starliner Delays Mount, Musk Holds the Line with Dragon
NASA has officially delayed the next flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft until 2026, leaving the troubled program’s future hanging in uncertainty — and raising questions about America’s long-term crew access to space amid lingering tensions between President Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
The space agency confirmed that Starliner remains uncertified for crewed missions after a disastrous 2024 flight stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly a year due to engine malfunctions. While the duo was eventually brought home safely aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, the episode continues to cast a shadow over Boeing’s attempt to rival Musk’s dominant position in American spaceflight.
“NASA is assessing the earliest potential for a Starliner flight to the International Space Station in early 2026, pending system certification and resolution of Starliner’s technical issues,” NASA said Friday.
Crewed or Cargo? Even NASA Isn’t Sure
Officials are still debating whether Starliner’s next launch — if it happens — will include humans at all. After the 2024 near-catastrophe, confidence in the craft’s life-support reliability has cratered, and engineers are reportedly pushing for a cargo-only test before risking another crew.
Boeing, meanwhile, is trying to salvage public trust by claiming the uncrewed Starliner return in 2025 was a sign of readiness — though critics note it’s a low bar to clear after leaving astronauts in orbit for months longer than planned.
Trump vs. Musk Almost Upended It All
The Starliner delay also lands in the wake of a high-profile political feud. Earlier this year, President Trump briefly floated cutting NASA’s billion-dollar SpaceX contracts amid tensions with Elon Musk — a move that would have left NASA dependent on Russia’s Soyuz capsules once again, given Starliner’s failures.
Musk, in response, threatened to retire the Dragon spacecraft, triggering a brief panic across the space community before he reversed course. The stand-off served as a stark reminder that, for now, SpaceX remains NASA’s only functional path to space.
Boeing’s Billion-Dollar Boondoggle
Once hailed as the safe, domestic alternative to SpaceX, Boeing’s Starliner program has become a money-burning embarrassment, plagued by years of delays, cost overruns, and technical setbacks. The latest grounding pushes the crewed timeline even further back — and with it, the company’s hopes of regaining credibility in the commercial space race.
If Starliner fails to fly a successful crewed mission in 2026, it could mark the end of Boeing’s role in the U.S. human spaceflight effort — and the further cementing of Elon Musk and SpaceX as America’s sole ticket to orbit.
Bottom line:
NASA bet on Boeing to provide redundancy in space access.
Instead, they got stranded astronauts, blown deadlines — and no guarantee Starliner will ever safely fly a crew again.