2024-08-24 17:28:24
SpaceX saves Boeing: The aerospace giant’s image is not flattering.
The two astronauts who were supposed to be brought back to Earth will finally return from the International Space Station (ISS) with a rival company led by Elon Musk due to problems with Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft.
The news is a severe blow, even a humiliation, for Boeing, NASA’s historical partner. And it couldn’t come at a worse time, as the group’s aviation division is in turmoil due to a series of aircraft failures and two fatal air crashes in 2018 and 2019.
“This is not a good time for Boeing,” said Eric Seidehaus, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who called it “embarrassing” that SpaceX had to recall the crew.
TD Cowen aerospace analyst Cai Von Rumohr added that the incident “creates an image problem” and could “jeopardize future contracts with NASA.”
But despite the mission’s failure, Boeing’s stature and size ensure it can bounce back.
“Boeing is not going away anytime soon,” said Glenn Lightsey, a professor of aerospace engineering at the Guggenheim School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The Starliner program has already cost Boeing $1.6 billion in additional costs due to multiple development delays and supply chain price increases.
But this figure compares favorably with the $24.93 billion turnover of Boeing’s Defense, Space and Services (BDS) division in 2023, which totals $77.79 billion for the group.
– ‘Regaining trust’ –
There was also no indication that the ship was going to be abandoned.
Despite the delays, NASA has never denied the existence of Boeing, from which it ordered the spacecraft in 2014, while also ordering another from SpaceX.
The space agency has since continued to hammer out its goal of having two vehicles to transport astronauts so they wouldn’t be left helpless if one of the vehicles failed.
“If you’re a company and a subcontractor (..) goes over budget, delivers late and puts the lives of employees at risk, most companies would fire him,” Erik Seedhouse compared. “But not NASA.”
The company also believes that the two problems encountered by Starliner — a helium leak and a propellant defect — are surmountable.
Glenn Lightsey agreed that the concerns were not “surprising” because the spacecraft is “still very early in its development” and has only undergone three orbital tests, two of which were empty. “Only after about five missions can we really say that we have checked all the subsystems,” the expert estimated.
So, “even if this still requires more flights, I don’t think NASA will let them go,” he added.
– Awkward comparisons –
The comparisons to SpaceX remain just as brutal.
Elon Musk’s company was widely seen as an “outsider” in 2014, with fewer contracts than Boeing ($2.6 billion, compared with $4.2 in the same period last year). However, it has been serving as a space taxi for astronauts for four years.
SpaceX certainly has a head start, with its Dragon spacecraft already resupplying the International Space Station since 2012. But Boeing has been involved in the U.S. space program for decades.
The group “had been involved in the Apollo program” and “built some of the modules of the International Space Station,” Eric Seidlhaus recalled. “So it was surprising that in such a short period of time … they went from a company that was doing really well to a company that was making a bunch of mistakes.”
Even if a “single cause” cannot explain everything, experts mentioned “quality control issues” raised by the “aerospace and aviation fields.”
Boeing is also inherently more bureaucratic than SpaceX, and decisions can be made more quickly, he added.
However, beware the sin of hubris: in the high-stakes environment of space, roles could one day be reversed.
Glenn Lightsey predicts: “At some point in the future SpaceX will need help.” Then “Boeing can return the favor.”
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