NASA Report Blames 3 Oversight Failures for Starliner Delays, Pushing Certification to 2027
Updated
Updated · SpaceNews · Jul 1
NASA Report Blames 3 Oversight Failures for Starliner Delays, Pushing Certification to 2027
3 articles · Updated · SpaceNews · Jul 1
Summary
21 months after Boeing’s 2024 Crew Flight Test, NASA’s inspector general said overconfidence, unrealistic schedules and weak access to simulator data drove Starliner’s recurring failures across three test flights.
May 2021 planning treated the mission as only six months away, the report said, even though it did not launch until June 2024; NASA also let Boeing skip integrated testing and failed to fully use available simulation runs showing possible vehicle or crew loss.
21% attrition in the commercial crew program office by April 2025 further weakened oversight, while NASA waited until February 2026 to classify the flight as a Type A mishap after an independent review.
2027 is now the likely certification date, the OIG said, calling NASA’s earlier fall 2026 target unrealistic because Starliner-1 has no launch date and helium-leak and propulsion testing remained incomplete as of March 2026.
2030 retirement of the ISS leaves little margin: the watchdog said all three contracted crewed Starliner flights may not be completed by then, even as Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg says corrective actions are largely in place.
With critical Starliner issues unresolved and certification unlikely before 2027, can Boeing recover its role in human spaceflight before the ISS retires?
As NASA grows more dependent on SpaceX due to Starliner delays, how will it safeguard against the risks of relying on a single commercial provider?
Given repeated delays in Starliner and spacesuit development, is NASA’s fixed-price contracting approach undermining innovation and mission safety?