Boeing’s days in space may be numbered. And SpaceX may have become NASA’s new space contractor.
The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth at an altitude of 250 miles. That doesn’t sound like much. You can drive 250 miles in a cheap sedan in about four hours or take an hour long flight (if that).
It’s taken Boeing (BA 0.15%) five year to the ISS, however. And when they arrived, they found SpaceX had already arrived four years ago.
Is the third time the charm?
Boeing’s first attempt to launch a Starliner spacecraft to the ISS in 2019 ended in failure after a malfunction of the clock on the spacecraft caused a disturbance by the motorboat at the wrong time, putting it on the wrong track, and eventually requiring the plane to return. The world without achieving its goal.
Three years later, Boeing made its second attempt to reach the ISS – Orbital Flight Test 2 – and despite some obstacles encountered along the way, it succeeded in installing the capsule it was not used for its intended purpose, and then returned to the world.
Earlier this month, it was time for Boeing to try again, this time with astronauts on board. On June 5, Boeing launched its Test Flight Crew program. On June 6, Starliner returned to the ISS.
With warnings.
Even after the Starliner took off from Cape Canaveral, problems emerged with stuck valves and a constant flow of helium that delayed the launch by about a month. By the time the Starliner arrived at the ISS, the spacecraft had begun to look like Swiss cheese, with three separate leaks identified in the propulsion system and at least four exhausts. failure. Two more leagues have been found since the post.
NASA has twice postponed the departure of Starliner for its return to Earth, with the latest date of June 25, without giving a specific reason – although I think it is possible then we guess.
Come on @NASA and @BoeingSpace NET is expected 10:10pm ET June 25 for the opening of the #Starliner fly away @Space_Stationlanding early June 26 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Add: https://t.co/QouNVM58Jq pic.twitter.com/HzF2KW7rPc
— NASA Entrepreneur (@Crew_Advisor) June 18, 2024
Unconfirmed media reports say that NASA is considering the possibility of needing to organize a “rescue mission” to bring back its astronauts if the capsule is deemed unsafe to travel on.
Adding insult to injury
Whether things go wrong in that regard remains to be seen, but Starliner’s failures have combined to further tarnish an already tarnished Boeing reputation. And that reputation looks even worse when juxtaposed against the performance of SpaceX, Boeing’s rival in the Commercial Crew Transportation contract to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS — and potentially provide a spaceship for any rescue mission.
Boeing and SpaceX won the first Commercial Crew contracts in 2014, with Boeing receiving 61.5% more than money for his work because it was considered the most reliable company. Since then, SpaceX has sent astronauts to the ISS aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft 10 times without incident, compared to Boeing’s record of zero times without incident. (or maybe one time and a lot events). If NASA were to fly a rescue mission, it would be very clear which spacecraft would be used.
And even if no rescue is needed, only Boeing knows SpaceX i will NASA’s rescue has become the choice that should hurt a little.
Best quality
But we’ll keep our fingers crossed, and hope all goes well for Starliner in the end. So what?
As Payload Space reminds us, the Starliner mission to the ISS is just a test mission. The airship was not “certified” for operational (ie, normal) use, and it is not. be wait until Boeing goes through the design with a fine tooth comb, figure out what’s wrong with its broken aircraft carrier wild, and all these are restored.
After that, Boeing still has a contract to fulfill, with six crew, conducting missions to fly to earn the $4.2 billion awarded under its original Commercial Crew contract.
With six years left until the ISS is decommissioned, and with NASA crews flying to the ISS about twice a year, there’s still time for Boeing to cash in – but only if the Starliner departs early. And beyond 2030, when the ISS is retired, it’s not clear what value – if any – there might be for Starliner.
One way or another, I fear this ship’s days are numbered. And Boeing may be out of the race for good.
Rich Smith has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has an advertising system.
#Boeing #Races #Catch #SpaceX #Orbit #Missing #Motley #Fool