Boeing’s Starliner Setbacks: Future in Doubt After Latest NASA Decision

NASA’s recent choice to bring Boeing's Starliner capsule back without astronauts, due to various malfunctions, highlights longstanding issues in Boeing's space endeavors. The future of Starliner is uncertain as Boeing faces significant setbacks, financial overruns, and industry competition, especially from Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

NASA's decision to return Boeing's Starliner capsule without astronauts marks another setback in Boeing's troubled space program. Analysts suggest this raises doubts about the future viability of the Starliner unit.

The mission, which aimed to take NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), has been delayed by eight months due to technical issues. Boeing's Starliner has cost the company $1.6 billion in overruns since 2016. NASA deemed its propulsion system unsafe for returning, forcing the astronauts to rely on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule.

Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, faces a tough decision: invest more in the troubled Starliner or focus on rebuilding Boeing's core planemaking division. With multidimensional challenges in the space sector, including cost overruns on the Space Launch System rocket, Boeing's future strategy in space remains uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies.)