NASA Classifies Starliner Flight as Type A Mishap

NASA has classified the 2024 crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft as a Type A mishap, its most severe designation, citing technical failures and organizational shortcomings that stranded two astronauts on the International Space Station for over eight months. The announcement came during a news conference in Washington on Thursday, following the release of an independent investigation into the mission launched on June 5, 2024.

The flight, part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, carried astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the station aboard the Starliner capsule, named Calypso. The mission was intended as an eight-to-14-day test to verify the spacecraft's readiness for transporting crew to and from the orbiting laboratory. However, shortly after launch on an Atlas V rocket, the vehicle experienced helium leaks in its propulsion system and multiple thruster failures, including intermittent outages during the approach to the station. Despite successfully docking, NASA officials determined the spacecraft was unsafe for the astronauts' return. Starliner was sent back to Earth uncrewed in September 2024, while Williams and Wilmore remained on the station,...