NASA says it failed Starliner astronauts, blasts Boeing

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At press conference, NASA cites failures, blasts Boeing

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024. It was Starliner’s first crewed test flight, aimed for docking with the International Space Station (ISS). But multiple thrusters aboard Starliner – meant to help the spacecraft dock – failed. After a few restarts, the two astronauts were, finally, able to dock their spacecraft with ISS and go aboard safely. But Starliner had also suffered five helium leaks while en route.

Wilmore and Williams’ original mission was meant to last a week. Hesitant to use Starliner again to return to Earth, they stayed aboard ISS for 286 days. In a press conference on February 19, 2026, the new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman blamed NASA’s own decision-making and leadership for the botched mission. He said:

Starliner has design and engineering deficiencies that must be corrected, but the most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware. It is decision-making and leadership that, if left unchecked, could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight.

NASA has now designated the failure as a Type A Mishap, the highest classification for a mission failure. Previous Type A Mishaps include Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia disasters, along with the Apollo 1 fire, all of which resulted in loss of life. Meanwhile, the Starliner mission was “ultimately successful in preserving crew safety,” according to a 311-page report, detailing the issues that led to the Starliner’s failure.

NASA had awarded Boeing the contract for $4.2 billion to create Starliner in 2014. The spacecraft was meant to carry a human crew into space. It was supposed to be ready by 2017, but its crewed first flight wasn’t until 2024. And it was more than $2 billion over budget.

Watch the full press conference here.

Astronauts safe, Starliner grounded

Due to Starliner’s issues, NASA ultimately decided Butch and Suni’s ride back to Earth would be aboard the Dragon capsule Freedom. They splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico – off the coast of Florida – on March 18, 2025.

As for Starliner, it was already back on Earth. It had returned to Earth uncrewed on September 7, 2024. It is currently being used for forensic testing as engineers try to replicate the thruster failures on the ground. And it remains grounded for the time being. Jared Isaacman said Thursday Starliner will not fly again until the following conditions are met:

• The technical root causes of the thruster failures are fully understood and corrected.
• The propulsion system is completely re-qualified for human flight.
• All recommendations from the independent investigation are implemented.

Taking responsibility

Isaacman, who did not hold the position of NASA administrator at the time of the Starliner flight, has been forthcoming about the events. At Thursday’s press conference, he said:

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has faced challenges throughout its uncrewed and most recent crewed missions. While Boeing built Starliner, NASA accepted it and launched two astronauts to space. The technical difficulties encountered during docking with the International Space Station were very apparent.

To undertake missions that change the world, we must be transparent about both our successes and our shortcomings. We have to own our mistakes and ensure they never happen again. Beyond technical issues, it is clear that NASA permitted overarching programmatic objectives of having two providers capable of transporting astronauts to and from orbit, influence engineering and operational decisions, especially during and immediately after the mission. We are correcting those mistakes. Today, we are formally declaring a Type A mishap and ensuring leadership accountability so situations like this never reoccur. We look forward to working with Boeing as both organizations implement corrective actions and return Starliner to flight only when ready.

What is a Type A mishap? It’s the most serious category of mishap. NASA’s definition of a Type A mishap includes:

Unexpected aircraft departure from controlled flight.

Further statements from Isaacman

Isaacman also shared a note on social media that went out to the NASA workforce on Thursday. The note read, in part:

We returned the crew safely, but the path we took did not reflect NASA at its best.

In the note he outlined three root causes for the Starliner failures. First, NASA’s “limited-touch acquisition and management posture” meant the experts at NASA did not have enough knowledge to confidently certify the human-rated spacecraft. Second, Boeing’s design and certification approach allowed hardware to operate outside qualification limits. And 3rd, NASA’s desire to have a 2nd means of transportation for crew negatively influenced its decision making. This decision making continued even after the Starliner mission was over and the crew was safely back on Earth. In fact, as Isaacman wrote:

Despite the loss of the six-degrees-of-freedom control and cost thresholds exceeding a Type A mishap by a factor of 100, a mishap was not declared. Concern for the Starliner program’s reputation influenced that decision. Initially, the Commercial Crew Program investigated itself.

The press conference on Thursday was the result of an independent investigation.

Will NASA use Boeing in the future?

So where does Boeing and the Starliner project stand now? Isaacman wrote:

NASA will continue working with Boeing, as we do with all partners undertaking flight tests. Sustained crew and cargo access to low Earth orbit will remain essential, and America benefits from competition and redundancy.

But to be clear: NASA will not fly another crew on Starliner until technical causes are understood and corrected, the propulsion system is fully qualified, and appropriate investigation recommendations are implemented. …

We will achieve success through extreme ownership, immense competence, and decisive action.

Bottom line: In a press conference on February 19, 2026, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman took responsibility for the agency’s failures during the 2024 Starliner flight.

Watch the full press conference here.

Via NASA