NASA CLASSIFIES STRANDED ASTRONAUTS INCIDENT AS SERIOUS

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Bernama-dpa) -- United States (US) space agency NASA has classified the spacecraft malfunction that forced two astronauts to remain on the International Space Station (ISS) for around nine months longer than planned as a serious incident, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

"Due to the loss of the spacecraft's manoeuvrability as the crew approached the space station and the associated financial damages incurred, NASA has classified the test flight as a Type A mishap," the space agency said in a statement on Thursday.

Type A incident is the highest category for an incident at NASA.

"While there were no injuries and the mission regained control before docking, this highest-level classification designation recognises there was potential for a significant mishap," NASA said.

US astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry E.Wilmore arrived at the ISS in early June 2024 on the first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

They were only meant to stay in space for a week, but numerous technical problems with the craft left them stranded.

They eventually made their way back to Earth nine months later onboard a different spacecraft.

The statement said that an independent investigation had found that a combination of "hardware failures, qualification gaps, leadership missteps, and cultural breakdowns" had created "risk conditions inconsistent with NASA's human spaceflight safety standards."

The investigation into the technical causes is continuing.

--BERNAMA-dpa