Nasa says that issues with Starliner's propulsion system have been deemed too risky to bring its first crew home.
Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore - both former military test pilots - are expected to return to Earth in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The agency's decision, tapping Boeing's top space rival to return the astronauts, is one of Nasa's most consequential in years. Boeing had hoped the test mission would redeem the Starliner programme after years of development problems and over US$1.6 billion in budget overruns since 2016.
Starliner will undock from the ISS without a crew and attempt to return to Earth as it would have with astronauts aboard.
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