Multiple software issues and a poor radio link doomed a test flight of Boeing's crew capsule late last year,
NASA said Friday, revealing for the first time a glitch that could have destroyed the spaceship on its re-entry.
The Starliner's December 20 mission, an uncrewed test flight, was ended early when it failed to engage its thrusters on time, due to a previously reported faulty timer.
NASA said in a statement Friday that the problem arose because it incorrectly pulled time from its Atlas V launch rocket, creating an 11-hour mismatch.