NASA Investigation Finds Boeing Hindering Americans’ Return to Moon

A report from the space agency’s office of the inspector general pins the blame on the aerospace giant’s mismanagement and inexperienced workforce.

Jack Daleo

Friday, August 09, 2024 at 04:07 PM ET

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An artist’s illustration depicts NASA’s SLS Block 1B flying in crew configuration. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

A NASA OIG report faults Boeing's mismanagement, inexperience, and inadequate quality control for severe cost overruns and multi-year delays for the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B, crucial for future Artemis moon missions.
Boeing's deficiencies include an unreliable quality management system, an unqualified workforce leading to manufacturing defects, and an almost tripled budget for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), contributing to an expected six-year delay for the Artemis IV mission.
The OIG recommended NASA impose financial penalties on Boeing for these issues, but NASA rejected this, believing existing contractual award fee provisions are sufficient, a stance the OIG fears could jeopardize the Artemis deep space exploration campaign.

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Mismanagement and inexperience on the part of Boeing are creating severe delays and expenditures for NASA’s efforts to return Americans to the moon, according to a new report from the agency’s office of the inspector general (OIG).

The 38-page document, released Wednesday, paints the manufacturer’s quality control practices as inadequate and its workforce as insufficiently trained, blaming it for cost increases and schedule delays in the development of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B. Yet the space agency has neglected to punish Boeing financially for these flaws, arguing that doing so would run contrary to the terms of its contract.