boeing companyThe Starliner is a human-class space capsule designed to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Boeing began building the capsule in 2014 under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA under its Commercial Crew program.
NASA also selected SpaceX for the mission, providing Musk’s company $2.6 billion to develop the Crew Dragon capsule.
“The entire commercial crew program is very much a new venture,” said Caleb Henry, Quilty Space’s director of research. “Prior to this, NASA relied on a large pool of its own engineering talent to get humans to the space station.”
Henry said the plan allows NASA to transfer “some of these responsibilities to the private sector.”
“Congress has been somewhat reticent about this approach,” he said. “It’s because of Boeing’s involvement that Congress and NASA have enough confidence to actually move forward with this project.”
In the decade since, Boeing has been working to complete six mission contracts with NASA.
To date, Boeing has received nearly $5 billion in funding to develop the Starliner, including $1.5 billion to cover delays and cost overruns. Boeing recently launched the final test it needs to complete before NASA certifies Starliner for a landmark crewed mission.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has completed more than a dozen manned space missions since 2020, launching NASA astronauts and ordinary citizens.
Watch the video to learn more about the obstacles Boeing faces in its Starliner project and the future of its long-awaited capsule.
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