NASA Labels Starliner CFT a Type A Mishap 21 Months Late, Questioning $127.9 Million
Updated
Updated · NASA Watch · Jun 30
NASA Labels Starliner CFT a Type A Mishap 21 Months Late, Questioning $127.9 Million
3 articles · Updated · NASA Watch · Jun 30
Summary
February 2026 brought NASA’s Type A mishap classification for Boeing’s June 2024 Starliner Crew Flight Test after the capsule failed to return to Earth with crew—a key mission objective.
The NASA inspector general said ambiguous mishap rules for test events delayed that decision by 21 months, obscuring safety issues and contributing to higher costs and future performance risk.
Three unresolved problems—helium leaks, propulsion failures and parachute anomalies—still blocked Starliner human-rating certification as of March 2026, leaving NASA uncertain when testing will finish.
NASA has already spent $17 million accelerating SpaceX flights and plans to fly Starliner-1 uncrewed with cargo, while the watchdog questioned $127.9 million in Boeing payments on top of $43 million challenged in 2019.
The report said NASA’s overconfidence in Boeing, unrealistic schedules and limited use of contract data rights helped drive six more years of delays, threatening ISS crew transport planning through 2030.