The Scoop: NASA capsule issues latest struggle for Boeing

Two NASA astronauts, stuck at the International Space Station since June, will be there for months longer due to ongoing issues with a Boeing-made spacecraft.

Because of the issues with the Boeing Starliner, NASA will turn to Space X — a Boeing rival — to bring home astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Wilmore and Williams originally planned to be in space for about eight days, but issues with the Boeing vessel they rode into orbit caused the trip to be extended indefinitely.

Boeing has faced many issues with its aerospace business in recent years. Though, it had insisted, based on recent space and ground tests of its thrusters, that the Starliner was safe, according to the Associated Press.

But, based on its tests on Saturday, NASA decided to “keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed” as a “commitment to safety,” NBC News reported.

The Starliner issues will force the astronauts to remain aboard the ISS until February.

Why it matters: In business, reputation and trust matter above all else. And right now, that’s one area where Boeing is really struggling.

The latest Starliner issue marks the continuation of several years of bad press for Boeing, a longstanding leader in the aerospace engineering sector.

Two of the company’s 737 Max airliners crashed in 2018 and 2019. The safety of its products again came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year after a panel blew out of a Max during a flight. Boeing has also faced years of issues with its Starliner capsule program, which has faced years of delays, ballooning costs and system issues.

Since 2022, Boeing’s defense and space division has lost $6 billion, slightly more than the airplane side of its business during the same period, per the AP.

While the space capsule program represents a tiny fraction of Boeing’s revenue, carrying astronauts is a high-profile job. Being able to land to bring a pair of American astronauts safely back to Earth would have been a major win for the company. 

Instead, the Boeing name is appearing in a slew of negative international headlines — “NASA says astronauts stuck in space will not return on Boeing capsule, will wait for SpaceX craft” — that not only reinforce its struggles but highlight its competitor’s role in cleaning up its mess. To make matters worse, Boeing was very public about its belief that the Starliner system would be successful this time around.

Clearly, this move will not mark the end of Boeing as an aerospace leader. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Saturday he was “100% confident” that the Starliner will fly with a crew again. But for Boeing, it really needs a major win to help build that consumer and investor trust.

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Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.