NASA has officially classified the 2024 crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft as a “Type A” mishap, signaling a serious failure of the test mission. This announcement on Thursday by NASA comes with due recognition of faults not only by Boeing, the developer of Starliner, but also within NASA itself, as noted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Starliner participated under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, aimed at providing astronaut transportation services to the International Space Station. In a letter sent agency-wide, Isaacman emphasized the importance of owning up to these shortcomings.
This development was followed by an afternoon news conference where NASA's accountability was notably clear. In a move directed by Isaacman, the agency also unveiled a comprehensive internal report of 311 pages from the Program Investigation Team that scrutinized the Starliner mission.
In his letter, Isaacman acknowledged that while Starliner had design and engineering issues that required correction, the more concerning issue was in the realm of decision-making and leadership. He warned that, if neglected, this could lead to a culture not conducive to human spaceflight.
Isaacman hinted at forthcoming 'leadership accountability' but did not specify what actions would be undertaken.
The Starliner’s 'Type A' designation follows its initial crewed flight setback more than a year and a half earlier, in June 2024. Helium leaks in its propulsion system and intermittent thruster issues affected the spacecraft during the lengthy journey to the space station, which launched aboard an Atlas V rocket.