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Accountability Statement
Bill Nelson states NASA and Boeing are both answerable for program blunders.
Type A Classification
NASA officially labels the mission a Type A mishap and launches a formal investigation.
Astronauts Stranded
Crew remains on ISS for months while NASA evaluates the safety of the return vehicle.
NASA Decision
NASA decides to return crew on SpaceX Crew-9 due to Starliner thruster uncertainty.
Crew Flight Test (CFT) Launch
First crewed mission experiences helium leaks and thruster failures during docking.
Crew Flight Test Launch
First crewed mission launches with two astronauts aboard.
OFT-2 Success
Second uncrewed test successfully docks with the ISS despite minor thruster issues.
Orbital Flight Test 2
Successful uncrewed docking with the ISS after years of delays.
OFT-1 Failure
First uncrewed test fails to reach the ISS due to a software clock error.
Orbital Flight Test 1
Software clock error prevents Starliner from reaching the ISS.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has publicly stated that both the space agency and Boeing share responsibility for the technical failures that plagued the Starliner spacecraft. This admission follows a series of high-profile blunders that delayed missions and forced a reliance on rival SpaceX for crew transport.
NASA has officially classified the recent Boeing Starliner mission failures as a 'Type A' mishap, the agency's most severe category for safety threats. The designation follows a crewed test flight that left astronauts stranded for months and triggers a mandatory high-level investigation into Boeing's engineering and management culture.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has issued a scathing public critique of Boeing and the agency’s internal oversight following the failed Starliner Crew Flight Test. The rare rebuke highlights systemic engineering lapses and a breakdown in safety culture that forced the agency to rely on SpaceX for astronaut recovery.