The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Thursday issued an investigation report on the Boeing CST-100 Starliner crewed test flight. The report pointed out some critical problems, including hardware failures, qualification problems, leadership errors, and cultural issues.
These conditions created risk factors that did not meet NASA’s safety requirements for human spaceflight.
According to the report, the spacecraft momentarily lost the ability to maneuver as the astronauts approached the International Space Station (ISS). Because of the loss of control and the cost implications, NASA has declared the test flight a “Type A mishap,” which is the highest level of severity in the reporting system.
“The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has had issues throughout its uncrewed and most recent crewed flights,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said at a press conference. “The issues that occurred during the docking process with the International Space Station were clear.”
“Today, we are formally declaring a Type A mishap and holding leadership accountable so that incidents like this never happen again,” Isaacman said, adding that NASA would closely collaborate with Boeing to develop corrective measures before resuming Starliner flights.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on its maiden crewed test flight, launched on June 5, 2024. Originally planned to last eight to 14 days, the mission was extended to 93 days after unexpected propulsion system anomalies were observed in orbit.
Finally, after analyzing flight results and ground testing, NASA decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth without crew members. The spacecraft successfully landed in September 2024 at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission in March 2025.
NASA formed an independent Program Investigation Team in February 2025 to investigate the technical, organizational, and cultural issues that led to the near-failure of the mission. The team finished its extensive report in November 2025.
Currently, NASA and Boeing are continuing their technical root cause analysis to identify specific programming mistakes and hardware failures that occurred during the flight.
NASA reported that it is “strictly enforcing corrective actions in response to these findings, ensuring the agency learns key lessons to ensure the safety of future Starliner missions and other programs.
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