Boeing Starliner Test Flight Stretches to 93 Days as Engineers Struggle With Propulsion Thruster Issues

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5, 2024, on a mission to test the crewed vessel. However, anomalies in the propulsion system during the rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) extended the mission from eight days to nine months (286 days). According to a scathing 311-page NASA report released on February 19, 2026, various failures on both the technical and leadership sides caused these issues. NASA has officially reclassified the mission as a “Type A” mishap, its highest level of failure.

The agency stated it will hold managers accountable and that Starliner will not carry another crew until all problems are fully resolved.

Investigation Findings

According to the investigation, Starliner experienced both helium leaks and thruster failures during its docking process which caused temporary control loss for the spacecraft. The report pointed out that the “complex interplay” of failed hardware, design and qualification issues, leadership failures, and cultural issues did not meet NASA's safety requirements.

The investigation showed that the mission revealed weaknesses in the propulsion system as well as the operational framework of NASA. There were 61 recommendations made in the report to improve the testing and design of the spacecraft before the next mission.

NASA Response and Next Steps

NASA and Boeing are now trying to overcome these problems. NASA has reclassified the test flight as a Type A mishap and has said that it will not send another crew until all the technical problems are understood and resolved.

Boeing has said that it has made “substantial progress” on changes to resolve the issues that are in line with the findings of the report. NASA also plans to implement all 61 recommendations before the next mission of Starliner.