NASA inspector general suggests Boeing’s Starliner will now be a decade late

A recent audit from NASA's inspector general has raised alarms regarding the timeline for Boeing's Starliner crew capsule, indicating that it may not secure certification for operational flights to the International Space Station (ISS) until 2024. This delay pushes the Starliner project nearly a decade past its original target launch year of 2017, with the ISS's retirement slated for 2030, though there are discussions in Congress about extending its operation until 2032. The audit presents six key recommendations, all of which have been acknowledged by NASA officials. These include the establishment of a detailed schedule for the upcoming Starliner flight and subsequent crew missions, ensuring that any issues stemming from the capsule's first test flight with astronauts are thoroughly addressed and documented. NASA aims to complete these tasks by the end of December. However, the timeline for the next Starliner mission, which is now planned as a cargo flight named Starliner-1, remains unspecified. Current reports suggest that the launch date for Starliner-1 is under review, with expectations that it may not occur until after 2027, given the need to resolve various technical issues. The Starliner has encountered significant technical challenges, with approximately 100 reported in-flight anomalies during its Crew Flight Test in 2024, when NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were aboard. Their mission, initially planned for eight days, extended to nine months due to concerns over the capsule's reliability, prompting a return via SpaceX's Crew Dragon instead. While many of the anomalies have been addressed, critical issues like helium leaks and overheating control thrusters are still under investigation. Kent Rominger, a former Space Shuttle commander and member of NASA's safety panel, emphasized the ongoing risks associated with parachute anomalies, which require vigilant monitoring as the Starliner program progresses.