NASA intends to award new missions to SpaceX under the Commercial Crew program, extending the current contract to ensure the continuity of crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) until the station’s operational end, scheduled for 2030.
In a document published on May 18, the agency announced its intention to add six new missions to the contract with SpaceX. This decision comes at a time when Boeing’s Starliner program continues to experience delays and technical issues, having not yet obtained final certification for operational flights with astronauts.
The last amendment to SpaceX’s contract was in 2022, when NASA added five missions valued at approximately $1.4 billion. That contract covers missions up to Crew-14 (Crew-12 is currently aboard the ISS).
According to NASA, the choice to entrust additional missions to SpaceX is linked to several factors. These include the reduced planned duration of ISS missions, delays accumulated by Boeing, and the necessity to maintain a reliable system for transporting astronauts to the Station. Currently, SpaceX is the only U.S. system certified by NASA for regular crew transport to the ISS.
Starliner Delays and the Future of ISS Missions
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner program was intended to provide NASA with a second independent system for astronaut transport, a central goal of the Commercial Crew program. However, the capsule’s development has encountered numerous technical difficulties in recent years.
The Crew Flight Test mission, conducted in 2024 with astronauts on board, revealed further problems that have slowed its path to full vehicle certification. For this reason, NASA and Boeing modified the contract in November 2025, reducing the total number of planned missions from six to four, with the possibility of adding two more in the future.
As of today, it is planned that the Starliner capsule will perform a new uncrewed mission to the Station, but only if Boeing can resolve all issues identified by NASA after the failed 2024 mission.
Meanwhile, NASA had considered extending the standard duration of ISS missions from six to eight months, a choice that would have reduced the total number of flights needed each year. This was primarily driven by a desire to save money and gradually decrease commitment to the ISS. However, the agency confirmed in May that it intends to maintain missions lasting about six months, thereby maximizing the scientific utilization of the station in its final years of operation.
With the addition of six new missions to SpaceX, NASA aims to cover the entire remaining operational period of the ISS. The currently contracted missions will indeed extend crew rotations until the autumn of 2027, while the extension will allow for continuous presence on the Station until its planned decommissioning in 2030.
English Translation:
NASA plans to award new missions to SpaceX under the Commercial Crew program, extending the current contract to ensure the continuity of crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) until the station’s operational end, scheduled for 2030.
In a document published on May 18, the agency announced its intention to add six new missions to the contract with SpaceX. This decision comes at a time when Boeing’s Starliner program continues to experience delays and technical issues, having not yet obtained final certification for operational flights with astronauts.
The last amendment to SpaceX’s contract was in 2022, when NASA added five missions valued at approximately $1.4 billion. That contract covers missions up to Crew-14 (Crew-12 is currently aboard the ISS).
According to NASA, the choice to entrust additional missions to SpaceX is linked to several factors. These include the reduced planned duration of ISS missions, delays accumulated by Boeing, and the necessity to maintain a reliable system for transporting astronauts to the Station. Currently, SpaceX is the only U.S. system certified by NASA for regular crew transport to the ISS.
Starliner Delays and the Future of ISS Missions
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner program was intended to provide NASA with a second independent system for astronaut transport, a central goal of the Commercial Crew program. However, the capsule’s development has encountered numerous technical difficulties in recent years.
The Crew Flight Test mission, conducted in 2024 with astronauts on board, revealed further problems that have slowed its path to full vehicle certification. For this reason, NASA and Boeing modified the contract in November 2025, reducing the total number of planned missions from six to four, with the possibility of adding two more in the future.
As of today, it is planned that the Starliner capsule will perform a new uncrewed mission to the Station, but only if Boeing can resolve all issues identified by NASA after the failed 2024 mission.
Meanwhile, NASA had considered extending the standard duration of ISS missions from six to eight months, a choice that would have reduced the total number of flights needed each year. This was primarily driven by a desire to save money and gradually decrease commitment to the ISS. However, the agency confirmed in May that it intends to maintain missions lasting about six months, thereby maximizing the scientific utilization of the station in its final years of operation.
With the addition of six new missions to SpaceX, NASA aims to cover the entire remaining operational period of the ISS. The currently contracted missions will indeed extend crew rotations until the autumn of 2027, while the extension will allow for continuous presence on the Station until its planned decommissioning in 2030.
