NASA Inspector General: Boeing's Starliner Faces Long Delay

NASA's inspector general released an audit Tuesday of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, and it looks increasingly likely that Boeing's Starliner crew capsule won't be certified for operational flights to the International Space Station until next year. That's just three years before NASA's official retirement date for the ISS in 2030, though lawmakers in Congress are seeking an extension until 2032. Declaring Starliner ready for regular crew rotation flights next year would put the Boeing crew capsule a decade behind its original target of 2017.

The inspector general issued six recommendations. NASA officials agreed to all of them. The recommendations include developing a schedule for the next Starliner flight and future crew missions and making sure the schedule is updated to include sufficient time to ensure all of the problems from Starliner's first test flight with astronauts in 2024 are "resolved and documented." Why this matters: The delay in Boeing's Starliner certification has significant implications for NASA's Commercial Crew Program and the broader space industry.

With the ISS's retirement looming, NASA's reliance on private companies like Boeing and SpaceX to provide crew transportation services is becoming increasingly critical. A prolonged delay could force NASA to rely on Russian spacecraft for ISS crew transportation, which would be a setback for the agency's goal of establishing a sustainable presence in low-Earth orbit. Furthermore, the delay raises questions about Boeing's ability to deliver on large-scale engineering projects, which could have implications for the company's future business prospects.

As the space industry continues to evolve, the stakes are high for companies like Boeing and SpaceX to demonstrate their capabilities and meet the demands of NASA's ambitious space exploration program.