
Boeing blames incomplete testing for astronaut capsule woes
Boeing acknowledges it failed to conduct full and adequate software tests before the botched space debut of its astronaut capsule late last yearBy MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace WriterFebruary 28, 2020, 10:02 PM3 min readCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Boeing acknowledged Friday it failed to conduct full and adequate software tests before the botched space debut of its astronaut capsule late last year. A software error left the Starliner capsule in the wrong orbit in December and precluded a docking with the International Space Station. Another software flaw could have ended up destroying the capsule, if not fixed right before reentry. A Boeing vice president, John Mulholland, said both mistakes would have been caught if complete, end-to-end testing had been conducted in advance and actual flight equ...