New Delhi, July 3 -- WASHINGTON - Six years after Boeing was supposed to have a spacecraft ready to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, the company's Starliner capsule still has not earned the certification it needs to fly humans. NASA's own watchdog now says it probably will not until 2027 at the earliest.

A new report from NASA's Office of Inspector General, released Thursday, lays out the full scope of what has become one of the most expensive failures in the history of NASA contracting. The agency paid Boeing $4.2 billion in 2014 to develop a crewed spacecraft by 2017. Nine years and several failed attempts later, Starliner remains uncertified, and the OIG raised questions about $127.9 million in payments the agency ...