tech
February 20, 2026
NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as "Type A" mishap, says agency made mistakes
"The most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware."
TL;DR
- NASA has classified the 2024 Starliner crewed flight as a "Type A" mishap, acknowledging it as a serious failure.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that decision-making and leadership failures were more troubling than hardware deficiencies.
- An internal report detailing findings from the Program Investigation Team was released.
- The Starliner mission experienced helium leaks and intermittent thruster failures during its journey.
- Despite initial declarations of success by Boeing, NASA eventually decided the astronauts would return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
- Astronaut Butch Wilmore described having to take manual control of Starliner due to thruster failures.
- Past investigations into Starliner's thruster failures were found to lack rigor and often stopped at proximate causes.
- The next Starliner flight is planned to be uncrewed and could occur as early as April 2026, contingent on implementing report recommendations.
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