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NASA inspector general gives damning assessment of Boeing's quality control

Boeing is helping develop NASA's next-generation megarocket, but inspectors have found shortcomings in that work. Meanwhile, the company's Starliner spaceship waits in space.

“Boeing’s process to address deficiencies to date has been ineffective, and the company has generally been nonresponsive in taking corrective actions when the same quality control issues reoccur,” it said. Catherine Koerner, the associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, said in a written response attached to the report that the agency holds its programs to the “highest technical and programmatic standard.” The initial plan called for the upgraded rocket system to be used to send the Artemis II astronauts around the moon, but the timeline has been pushed back — changes that led to delays in the development schedule and increased costs, according to the inspector general.

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