Report On NASA Block 1B Rockets: Boeing Quality "Ineffective" & Workforce "Inexperienced"

Summary Boeing's inadequate quality control at the Michoud Assembly Facility leads to SLS Block 1B delays & increased spacecraft risk. Examples cited include foreign object debris & welding issues in SLS fuel tanks. Exploration Upper Stage development costs have tripled, casting doubt on meeting Artemis IV mission deadline.

NASA has released a report on the development of its Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B launch vehicle. The report details some concerning findings about Boeing's quality control management at its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Boeing quality control lapses on SLS Block 1B As detailed in NASA’s Management of Space Launch System Block 1B Development final report, the space agency pointed to Boeing’s "inadequate quality management system" as one of the driving forces behind project delays.

Boeing is the primary contractor on the SLS Block 1B project, a part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land humans on the Moon and eventually send crewed spacecraft to Mars. As stated in the report, "We found that Boeing’s quality management system at Michoud does not effectively adhere to industry standards or NASA requirements, resulting in production delays to the SLS core and upper stages and increased risk to the integrated spacecraft." These quality control issues were attributed largely to " a lack of a sufficient number of trained and experienced aerospace workers at Boeing.

" Boeing was issued a total of 71 Level I and Level II Corrective A.