NASA head criticises Boeing and agency managers over Starliner mishap

NASA's administrator said leadership and decision failures at Boeing and within NASA contributed to the 2024 Starliner mission problems that left two astronauts at the ISS for about nine months, and the agency has classified the incident as a "Type A" mishap.

NASA's administrator publicly criticised Boeing and some agency managers after an investigation into the 2024 Starliner flight. The probe found shortcomings in leadership, decision-making and oversight, and the agency upgraded the event to a "Type A mishap." Two test astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, remained aboard the International Space Station for about nine months before returning on a different spacecraft. Boeing and NASA continue technical reviews and said corrective work is ongoing. Key findings: - NASA's administrator said poor leadership and decision-making at Boeing contributed to Starliner's problems and that some NASA managers failed to intervene quickly enough. - The incident was declared a "Type A mishap," the agency's most serious classification for mission failure. - Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spent about nine months on the ISS and later returned to Earth on a SpaceX flight. - Boeing is continuing thruster analyses and said it has taken corrective actions; there is currently no timeline for resumed crewed Starliner flights. Summary: The investigation highlights deficiencies in program management and agency oversight that affected astronaut safety and scheduling. What comes next for Starliner operations and any formal recovery timeline is undetermined at this time.