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At\u00a0a\u00a0news conference\u00a0on Thursday, NASA\u00a0released a report of findings from the Program Investigation Team examining the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crewed Flight Test\u00a0as part of the\u00a0agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Boeing Starliner spacecraft has faced challenges throughout its uncrewed and most recent crewed missions. While Boeing built Starliner, NASA accepted it and launched two astronauts to space. The technical difficulties\u00a0encountered\u00a0during docking with the International Space Station were very\u00a0apparent,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo undertake missions that change the world, we must be transparent about both our successes and our shortcomings. We\u00a0have to\u00a0own our mistakes and ensure they never happen again. Beyond technical issues,\u00a0it is clear that NASA\u00a0permitted\u00a0overarching programmatic\u00a0objectives\u00a0of having two providers capable of transporting astronauts to-and-from orbit, influence\u00a0engineering\u00a0and operational decisions, especially during and\u00a0immediately\u00a0after the mission. We are correcting those mistakes. Today, we are formally declaring a Type A mishap and ensuring leadership accountability so situations like this never reoccur. We look forward to working with Boeing as both organizations implement corrective actions and return Starliner to flight only when ready.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starliner launched June 5, 2024, on its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station. Originally planned as an\u00a0eight-to-14-day mission, the flight was extended to 93 days after propulsion system anomalies were\u00a0identified\u00a0while the spacecraft was in orbit.\u00a0After reviewing flight data and conducting ground test at White Sands\u00a0Test Facility,\u00a0NASA\u00a0decided\u00a0to return the spacecraft without NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Starliner returned from the space station in September\u00a02024, landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.\u00a0Wilmore and\u00a0Williams later returned safely to Earth aboard\u00a0the agency\u2019s\u00a0SpaceX\u2019s Crew-9\u00a0mission\u00a0in March 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In February 2025, NASA chartered an independent Program Investigation Team\u00a0to investigate the technical, organizational, and cultural contributors to the\u00a0test\u00a0flight\u00a0issues.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This report was completed in November 2025. NASA and Boeing have been working together since Starliner returned 18 months ago to\u00a0identify\u00a0and address the challenges\u00a0encountered\u00a0during the mission, and the technical root cause work continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Investigators\u00a0identified\u00a0an interplay of\u00a0combined\u00a0hardware failures, qualification gaps, leadership missteps, and cultural breakdowns that\u00a0created risk conditions inconsistent with NASA\u2019s human spaceflight safety standards.\u00a0NASA will accept this as the final report.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result, NASA is taking corrective actions\u00a0to address the findings of the report,\u00a0in an effort to\u00a0ensure\u00a0the lessons learned contribute\u00a0to\u00a0crew and mission\u00a0safety of future Starliner flights and all NASA programs.\u00a0Due to the loss of the spacecraft\u2019s maneuverability as the crew approached the space station\u00a0and the associated financial damages incurred,\u00a0NASA has classified the\u00a0test\u00a0flight\u00a0as a Type A mishap.\u00a0While there were no injuries and the mission regained control prior to docking, this highest-level classification designation recognizes there was potential for a significant mishap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA\u00a0will continue to work closely with Boeing to fully understand and solve the technical challenges with the Starliner vehicle alongside incorporating the investigative recommendations before flying the next mission.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the full report,\u00a0which\u00a0includes\u00a0redactions\u00a0in coordination with our commercial partner to protect proprietary and privacy-sensitive material\u00a0is available online. A 508-compliant version of the report is forthcoming, and will be posted on this page. NASA will update with an editor\u2019s note when complete.<\/p>\n