Boeing’s problems with the Starliner spacecraft continue. But the bad news for the NASA contractor doesn’t end there. Boeing still has a contract to develop engines for the powerful Block 1B rocket, which is planned to be used during the Artemis IV mission in 2028. However, according to a new report from NASA’s inspector general, problems with the development of the first stage may cause the delay of the entire mission.
The report points to Boeing’s product quality problems and shortcomings in cost forecasting for Block 1B. Despite the already existing difficulties with spacecraft and the production of passenger airplanes, these new troubles illuminate the company’s systemic weaknesses.
The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) has submitted 71 corrective action requests to Boeing due to quality issues, including one serious case. DCMA believes that this number of requests at this stage of development indicates poor quality control at Boeing. The remediation process turned out to be ineffective, leading to recurrence of problems.
NASA’s inspector general also points out that quality problems at Boeing’s New Orleans facility are due to a lack of skilled workers. Boeing’s efforts to train workers were insufficient, resulting in defects such as welds that did not meet NASA specifications.
In addition to quality concerns, Boeing failed to meet the delivery deadline for the upper stage, which was first expected to be ready in 2021. But now it has been moved to 2027. The cost of the project has also risen to $5.7 billion, $700 million more than planned, and this could lead to further delays for the Artemis IV mission.
Boeing has previously been criticized for low-quality production of its airplanes, leading to scrutiny from regulators. Several whistleblowers reported poor security standards and communication problems between the company and its suppliers. The National Transportation Safety Board accused Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems of hiring untrained workers, creating chaos at the facility.
These problems go beyond aircraft construction and jeopardize NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon. Besides, NASA has long noted that the space launch system is expensive. Meanwhile, although SpaceX hasn’t launched a crew on its Starship, it’s showing significant progress, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is preparing for a test launch of its New Glenn rocket.
Earlier we reported on how NASA revealed the plan to evacuate the Starliner crew.
According to arstechnica.com
