Watchdog panel’s annual NASA safety report reveals new Boeing Starliner issue, questions viable future
The annual watchdog report tasked to gauge NASA safety commended the agency’s handling of last year’s beleaguered Boeing’s Starliner mission, but revealed yet another issue found during the flight and questioned the agency’s needs for the spacecraft in the future.
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), which was formed in 1968, released its assessment of NASA mission safety from 2024 paying specific attention to human risk, especially at the International Space Station and from Commercial Crew Program providers SpaceX and Boeing.
The headliner was Boeing’s first crewed flight of its long-delayed CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which suffered helium leaks and thruster failures on its propulsion system on its way up to the ISS. That led to a monthslong saga that ultimately saw Starliner leave its two NASA astronauts behind on the station because of the risk of flying them home.
The ASAP report commended NASA’s call to favor astronaut safety, but as an observer during the sundry meetings leading up to the decision, it warned the agency needs to better define who’s in charge.