NASA’s new boss blamed Boeing and the space agency on Thursday for Starliner’s botched flight that left two astronauts stuck for months at the International Space Station (ISS).
Administrator Jared Isaacman said poor leadership and decision-making at Boeing led to Starliner’s troubles. He also blamed NASA managers for failing to intervene and getButch Wilmore and Sunita Williamsback more quickly.
The two test pilots, now retired from NASA, spent more than nine months at the station before catching a lift back with SpaceX last March.
Isaacman said Starliner’s problems must be better understood and fixed before any more astronauts strap in.
Sunita Williamsand Butch Wilmore spent 286 days (approximately 9.5 months) in space during her final mission, which was significantly extended due to technical failures with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. She launched on June 5, 2024, for what was originally intended to be a brief 8-day test flight.
Isaacman upgraded the seriousness of Starliner’s troubled astronaut debut, declaring it a “Type A mishap," something that could endanger a crew. Both the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters also involved cultural and leadership missteps. It is a mistake that Starliner was not designated a serious mishap right from the start, Isaacman said, citing internal pressure to keep Boeing on board and flights on track.
“This is just about doing the right thing," he said. “This is about getting the record straight."
Thruster failures and other problems almost prevented Wilmore and Williams from reaching the space station following liftoff in 2024. The thruster analyses continue by Boeing.
“We almost did have a really terrible day," said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, referring to a potential loss of life.
NASA issued its 312-page Starliner report while conducting a second fueling test of its moon rocket at Kennedy Space Center. Hydrogen fuel leaks spoiled the first dress rehearsal earlier this month and stalled astronauts’ first flight to the moon since 1972.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
