While the Starliner's first flight didn't exactly go to plan, both NASA and Boeing still hope the spacecraft can one day fly again.

The earliest Boeing's Starliner spacecraft could fly again is early 2026, NASA said on Friday, as it evaluates whether to put humans on board one year after propulsion system issues on the capsule forced its debut crew to stay on the International Space Station for roughly nine months.

NASA delays Starliner's next flight to 2026, highlighting their reliance on SpaceX and Elon Musk. The project faces technical issues.

Space science experts told ABC News SpaceX has been essential to NASA’s missions and the breakdown of a relationship would leave a hole that would be hard to fill.

It has been a year since NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore entered the International Space Station (ISS). The duo lifted off on June 5 in Boeing Space's Starliner spacecraft atop the Atlas V rocket and made a 25-hour journey to the orbital lab.

SpaceX is the only U.S. company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules.

Elon Musk’s threat to pull his Dragon spacecraft out of NASA programs would severely impact the International Space Station and other programs.

In June 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX a contract worth $843 million to develop a bigger Dragon spacecraft to deorbit the space station in 2030. As Berger said, without SpaceX, NASA may have to look for another option that could reduce the chances of safely crashing the station into the Pacific Ocean.

NASA’s 2026 budget request would cut funding by almost a quarter and end Huntsville-based projects like the Space Launch System.