Another Boeing Fail

"According to Safety and Mission Assurance officials at NASA and DCMA officials at Michoud, Boeing’s quality control issues are largely caused by its workforce having insufficient aerospace production experience," the report states. "The lack of a trained and qualified workforce increases the risk that the contractor will continue to manufacture parts and components that do not adhere to NASA requirements and industry standards."

This lack of a qualified workforce has resulted in significant program delays and increased costs. According to the new report, "unsatisfactory" welding operations resulted in propellant tanks that did not meet specifications, which directly led to a seven-month delay in the program.

NASA's inspector general was concerned enough with quality control to recommend that the space agency institute financial penalties for Boeing’s noncompliance. However, in a response to the report, NASA's deputy associate administrator, Catherine Koerner, declined to do so.

"However, the increased costs will benefit Boeing since this is a cost-plus contract that pays for all of Boeing's expenses, plus a fee. This may help to explain why a development program that was originally supposed to be completed in 2021 is not unlikely to be finished until 2028 at the earliest."

No wonder Boeing doesn't want to bid on any fixed price contracts. Who would with this open pipeline to apparently infinite cash.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/a-new-report-finds-boeings-rockets-are-built-with-an-unqualified-work-force/?comments=1&comments-page=1

#USA #US #american #NASA #space #Boeing Great #engineering #fail #capitalism

Mind you, the Boeing Starliner crew was supposed to stay in orbit for 8 days, instead they stuck it out until next February (2025).

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/07/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-return/index.html