NASA audit flags multi-year delay for Starliner crew certification

The NASA Office of Inspector General released an audit that concluded Boeing’s Starliner may not achieve human-rating certification for several more years. Ars Technica reported that the audit projects the spacecraft’s first crewed flight to occur well beyond the program’s original schedule. The review notes that the certification timeline has slipped far past earlier expectations.

According to the report, the delay pushes the inaugural crewed mission a decade beyond the initial target. The audit’s findings highlight significant technical and programmatic hurdles that could require extensive additional testing.