NASA labels Boeing’s Starliner flight a Type A mishap after near‑catastrophic thruster issues
NASA has reclassified Boeing’s Starliner Crew Flight Test as a Type A mishap—the agency’s most serious category—after thruster failures and a temporary loss of control threatened the mission, which nonetheless docked with the ISS. NASA officials stressed that different decisions could have led to a very different outcome and apologized for past classification biases. The investigation is ongoing, Starliner won’t carry astronauts again until thruster issues are resolved, and Boeing/NASA plan a future uncrewed cargo mission to the ISS no earlier than April 2026, with the ISS retirement slated for 2030 and a push for redundant commercial crew options.
