NASA released a report on Thursday, February 19, 2026, detailing findings from an investigation into Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Flight Test, part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The report acknowledges challenges faced by the spacecraft during both uncrewed and crewed missions.
The Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5, 2024, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station. The investigation focused on technical difficulties encountered during the docking process. The Commercial Crew Program aims to foster a competitive market for space transportation, and this incident raises questions about balancing speed to market with rigorous engineering standards.
“The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has faced challenges throughout its uncrewed and most recent crewed missions. Although 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,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Isaacman emphasized the need for transparency, and accountability. “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, 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 seem forward to working with Boeing as both organizations implement corrective actions and return Starliner to flight only when ready.”
The report comes as NASA continues to rely on SpaceX for crewed missions to the ISS, highlighting the importance of a robust and reliable second provider. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is designed to transport humans and cargo to and from low Earth orbit. The agency’s decision to classify the incident as a Type A mishap signals the severity of the issues and the commitment to preventing recurrence.
As of July 3, 2024, the Starliner was pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on the International Space Station, alongside a SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. NASA’s full report details the investigation’s findings and outlines the corrective actions planned by both NASA and Boeing.
