Boeing's Starliner Is Delayed Another Year - Were the Alternatives Better?

After a planned launch in July was aborted due to issues with the valves it's looking like Starliner will be lucky to get a crewed Demo launch in 2022 and maybe be operational in 2023. Let's take a look at the alternatives that came from the commercial Crew development program.

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[jimsvideos]

Boeing announced recently a bold plan to get two men onto a bus to Cleveland by early 2024.

[britpoint]

"The James Webb Space Telescope will launch before Boeing put crew into space" sounds like a mean spirited meme but here we are

[CadePlaysGames]

Know then, that it is the year 10191. The known universe is ruled by the Padisha Emperor Shaddam IV, and Boeing's Starliner is almost ready for lift-off.

[jpdemer]

If Boeing does update the software, I hope they tell the pilots about it.

[virgilio]

The year is 2178. The colony cluster known as Side 7 has declared independence against the Earth's Federation. While this is unfolding, Boeing announces its first succesful flight of Starliner. In other news, the Soyus program has once again, renewed its contract for space ferrying for another 100 years.

[TheZoltan-]

Let's not deny an achievement here! By 2021, Boeing, as part of the commercial crew program, managed to send two astronauts to Space(X)!

[hadorstapa]

At this point, the steampunk cannon-launcher and space-bullet ship from Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” looks like a pretty convincing alternative to Starliner.

[wolfbyte]

Well Scott, here's the thing. In 2009, when these contracts were first being moved around, SpaceX had just successfully gotten their first rocket into orbit *ever* the year before. The first commercial Dragon flight didn't occur until 2012. Out of all the competitors, Boeing was the only one that had built space-rated vehicles (mostly by gobbling up the competitors in the years since Apollo and Shuttle). So, yeah, it's totally fair to heap scorn on them. Yes, spaceflight is hard. Yes, things can go wrong. But for the absurd amount of money being put into Boeing, and to be caught up on trivial matters (at first), you truly have to just shake your head in disbelief. I mean, Boeing is getting paid 60% for each Starliner seat, and it hasn't even carried a single astronaut while we have THREE Dragons in rotation!

I know that came out as SpaceX fanboy stuff, but the thing is that Boeing started with all the chips in their favor (not to mention their partial ownership of ULA), and they still fumbled.

[rogerwilco]

Boeing is finding out that keeping your experienced engineering staff around, and listening to them, is more important than moving a headquarters full of MBAs to Chicago.

[matthewcollier]

Boeing has received nearly $2 Billion more in funding from NASA yet it seems increasingly likely that Crew Dragon will finish all 6 of it's operational crew flights before Boeing finishes a single one.

[TheClintonio]

"It didn't reach the space station mostly due to software problems" - Boeing brought this on themselves by letting so many senior engineers go a few years back. So many companies consider us "expensive" and reap the rewards when they prefer juniors over us. I have so little sympathy for them. Same with the MAX debacle.

[markholm]

Between 737Max and Starliner, it’s looking like Boeing engineering management has some serious problems.

[thomasackerman]

Correction here; the crewed Dream Chaser did not at any point ever have or need anything like the Shooting Star module that the current Cargo DC does. It was an all in one lifting body design. Shooting Star is really needed to expand the cargo capabilities of DC so that it can carry external payloads as well as increase internal pressurized cargo, the solar arrays and propulsion is nice bonus.

[starvingfilmcritic]

I just love that Boeing tried to throw shade at Space X just before the first Starliner launch, justifying the higher costs on better safety checks and higher quality operation. Then their first Starliner launch went sideways and now they are delayed again.

Of course, Boeing isn't footing the bills for these mistakes, the US government is, giving Boeing no real incentive for actually putting the extra cost towards the supposed better safety checks and higher quality service.

[thehuggz-ik]

"and find a way to give more money to Boeing" - ending with a zinger that we all know is the only reason Boeing hasn't gone bankrupt.

[RCAvhstape]

Capsule: I'm going back to the shop; not feeling up to flying today.
Atlas booster: I have better things to do than wait around for you with the meter running. Hop in Lucy, I'll give ya a lift.

[thomasackerman]

Another fun fact, the original plan for long duration Shuttle missions included remaining docked to the then Space Station Freedom for stays of up to three months using a combination of the Extended Duration Orbiter pallets, throttling down the fuel cells to minimum, along with other conservation measures, and supplementing from SSF itself (like what happened eventually with ISS).

The big question marks at the time were the ability of the commander and co-pilot to fly the orbiter after so long in space as well as the safety margin in maintaining enough tire pressure, and the potential for a debris or micrometeoroid impact that could cause serious damage to the vehicle.

[philliprhodes]

Good to see someone use the correct terminology : “Silly Buggers!”

[Woodnymph]

YouTube algorithm rubbing salt in the wound suggesting this video to me today.

[MikeWood]

Zefram Cochrane has more of a chance of completing his first warp capable ship before Boeing gets a crewed Starliner off the ground.