NASA audit says Starliner approval unlikely before 2027

A new audit from NASA's Office of Inspector General warns that Boeing's Starliner spacecraft faces significant, unresolved technical challenges that cast serious doubt on its future as a crew transport vehicle for the International Space Station. The report, released on June 30, states it is uncertain when or if the spacecraft will be certified for crewed missions before the station's planned retirement in 2030.

Starliner has not flown since its Crew Flight Test in June 2024, a mission that experienced multiple technical failures, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. The two NASA astronauts on that flight, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were forced to remain aboard the ISS for nine months and returned to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. NASA formally classified that mission as a serious "Type A" mishap in February 2026, a designation the inspector general said was delayed by 21 months, hindering the resolution of ongoing issues.

The audit attributes the persistent problems to three root causes: NASA's overconfidence in Boeing's design based on its heritage systems and experience, which led the agency to allow Boeing to skip integrated testing; the...