NASA Rebukes Boeing Over Starliner Mission Failures

(MENAFN) NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman delivered a sharp public rebuke of Boeing on Thursday, holding the aerospace giant accountable for critical failures that trapped two astronauts aboard the International Space Station for nine months following a mission that was originally planned to last one week.

The condemnation came alongside the release of a comprehensive investigative report into Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which carried astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS before a cascade of technical problems made their return impossible. The capsule flew home empty in September 2024; the stranded crew did not return to Earth until March 2025 — aboard a different vehicle entirely.

The report's findings are severe. Investigators classified the loss of vehicle control during Starliner's ISS rendezvous as a Type A mishap — the most serious anomaly designation in NASA's classification system. Sixty-one separate recommendations were issued that must be addressed before Boeing can attempt another crewed Starliner flight. Underlying the technical failures, the report found sweeping management dysfunction, concluding the mission "was marked by chaotic meeting schedules, unclear roles, and communication breakdowns."

The relationship between the two institutions also came under fire. "Mistrust between NASA and Boeing was intensified by selective data sharing, perceived favoritism, and inconsistent transparency," the report stated.

Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut and close associate of SpaceX founder Elon Musk, did not spare NASA's own prior leadership from criticism. He warned that past decision-making risked creating "a culture incompatible with human spaceflight" — a striking indictment from an administrator confirmed to the role just two months ago.

Boeing's aerospace woes extend well beyond Starliner, as the company faces mounting public scrutiny over safety lapses in its commercial aviation division and persistent delays on major government contracts. Nevertheless, NASA has continued awarding work to the company as part of a deliberate strategy to sustain two independent American crew transportation systems to the ISS — Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

Yet SpaceX is not without its own difficulties. The company has experienced technical setbacks affecting ISS operations, including aborted missions and delayed astronaut returns — leaving both of NASA's primary contractors under scrutiny simultaneously.

That reality has amplified the strategic importance of Russia, currently the only other nation capable of independently ferrying both crew and cargo to the station. Though Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine swept broadly across Russia's aerospace sector, space cooperation was deliberately carved out to protect ISS operations.

Isaacman appears to be leaning into that diplomatic channel. Last week, he publicly expressed interest in meeting with Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov and indicated he may attend the launch of the Soyuz MS-29 mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, tentatively scheduled for summer 2026.

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