The inaugural mission of the Boeing Starliner capsule was marred by so many technical issues that it not only had to return unmanned, but its second mission is slated to solely carry cargo with no astronauts aboard. Tests and certification of design improvements are underway, with the earliest expected launch date to be sometime in April 2026.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX at the same time in 2014, but allocated a higher funding level to the Boeing project. Since then, it has underperformed in comparison to the SpaceX Dragon capsule.

The Starliner’s Strife

Boeing was given a contract valued at $4.6 billion to develop its Starliner, while the SpaceX Dragon was developed with funding of roughly half that at $

See Full Page