NASA to Review Botched Boeing Launch
08 February 2020 - 11:48AM
Dow Jones News
By Andrew Tangel and Doug Cameron
Officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
said they would review how Boeing Co. failed to detect software
glitches that resulted in a botched space-capsule launch in
December.
The U.S. space agency on Friday reported a previously
undisclosed software flaw, in addition to a problem identified
earlier that prevented the capsule from reaching the correct
orbit.
Douglas Loverro, an associate NASA administrator, said the
agency would examine whether broader problems at Boeing contributed
to the Starliner's software problems. He said NASA's oversight of
the spacecraft's development had also been insufficient.
"It looks as if there could possibly be process issues at
Boeing, and so we want to understand what the culture is at Boeing
that may have led to that," Mr. Loverro said in a call with
reporters.
Boeing's board ousted Dennis Muilenburg as chief executive days
after the Starliner launch on Dec. 20. The mishap dealt another
blow to Boeing, as its management continues to work through the
ramifications of the grounding of the 737 MAX. The passenger jet
has been grounded since March following the second of two fatal
crashes, and Boeing suspended its production in January.
Boeing said Friday that it had signed a new $13 billion loan
agreement to bolster its liquidity. The amount was at the midrange
of market expectations. Moody's said it expects the two-year credit
facility to be fully drawn down this year, offsetting a projected
$11 billion drain in cash.
Jim Chilton, a Boeing senior vice president, said the
Chicago-based aerospace giant would learn from the Starliner
software problems and was reviewing the matter.
In addition to the Starliner, NASA plans to rely on Boeing for
spacecraft as part of human exploration of the moon and other parts
of the solar system.
Prior to Friday's developments, NASA's top safety-advisory panel
urged agency leaders to delve into reasons for the software
problems and determine what corrective action may be necessary.
Write to Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com and Doug Cameron
at doug.cameron@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 07, 2020 19:33 ET (00:33 GMT)
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