A report released Thursday by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) found that Boeing hired underqualified workers to build space rockets, causing quality control problems.
NASA is auditing the Boeing Space Launch System (SLS) project, which has been in development since 2014 and is scheduled to fly to the moon in 2028, to identify the causes of delays and increasing costs. According to According to the report, NASA’s Office of Inspector General said Boeing lacked “trained and experienced aerospace workers” to work on the SLS, which NASA claimed was a major factor in construction delays.
The report said Boeing’s in-house training efforts were inadequate and “significant quality control deficiencies” persisted at the Michoud Assembly Plant.
“For example, during a visit to Michoud in April 2023, we observed that a critical component of SLS Core Stage 3, the liquid oxygen fuel tank dome, was isolated due to welds that did not meet NASA specifications, pending disposition as to whether and how it can be safely used in the future,” the report said. “According to NASA officials, the welding problems were caused by Boeing’s inexperienced technicians and poor planning and oversight of work orders. The lack of a trained and qualified workforce increases the risk that Boeing will continue to manufacture parts and components that do not comply with NASA requirements and industry standards.” (Related article: Boeing agrees to $244 million fine in plea deal over 737 MAX crashes)
NASA said Boeing gave engineers building rocket parts work instructions that “lacked clear details about how to do the work or what tools to use,” forcing some engineers to sift through reams of paperwork to get proper instructions.
“Quality control deficiencies” could “increase safety risks” to the spacecraft.
Boeing’s Starliner space probe experienced a helium leak and a failure in its reaction control system in June, leaving two NASA astronauts stranded on the International Space Station. If NASA determines the docked Starliner capsule is not safe enough for re-entry and decides to remove the two astronauts from SpaceX’s scheduled September flight so the astronauts stranded on the station can descend, the astronauts may have to remain in space until 2025, according to the Associated Press.
The Artemis 1 rocket is carried from the Rocket Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B just after midnight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 3, 2022. NASA officials are aiming to launch the giant rocket on November 14 after two previous launch cancellations. (Photo by Greg Newton/AFP via Getty Images)
Boeing has recently been hit by a series of quality-control problems with its 737 Max jetliner, which was involved in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Boeing reached a plea deal with the Justice Department in July, paying a $243.6 million fine and pleading guilty to criminal fraud.
An Alaska Airlines 737 MAX plane suffered a side door plug rupture during a flight in January, causing a loss of cabin pressure. The Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the incident in March.
The report recommended that NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) implement a formal quality-management training system for Boeing that NASA reviews, “implement financial penalties” for violations of quality-management standards, analyze the costs of Boeing contracts, and work with the Defense Contract Management Agency to monitor compliance.
The latest improved rocket design, Block 1B, is expected to cost $5.7 billion when it’s scheduled to launch in 2028, $700 million more than NASA has allocated to the project. As of 2024, the rocket’s upper stage is six years behind schedule, the report noted.
Boeing forwarded a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation to NASA, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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