Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched to the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule, were supposed to spend just eight days in orbit.Instead, they now face a six-month delay before returning to Earth, thanks to a leaky Starliner and malfunctioning thrusters. The fix? A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will swoop in to bring them home in February 2025.
The news has struck a nerve at Boeing, where morale is reportedly “in the toilet.” One Florida-based Boeing worker, vented frustrations and reportedly said: “We’ve had so many embarrassments lately, we’re under a microscope. This just made it, like, 100 times worse.” The employee’s disdain for SpaceX was palpable: “We hate SpaceX. We talk s**t about them all the time, and now they’re bailing us out,” as quoted by the Post.
The worker continued, “It’s shameful. I’m embarrassed, I’m horrified.” With internal tensions running high, many at Boeing are casting blame on Nasa for what they view as a public humiliation.
Nasa’s decision to turn to SpaceX comes after more than two months of assessing the Starliner’s performance. Despite Boeing’s assurances that the capsule was fit to bring Wilmore and Williams home safely, Nasa deemed it too risky. “We believed that Starliner could bring them home safely, but Nasa didn’t want to chance it,” the Boeing employee explained. “They have their own PR issues and don’t need two dead astronauts.”
Steve Stich, Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program manager, pointed to a “little disagreement about risk” in the talks with Boeing. While Boeing declined to comment directly on Nasa’s decision, the company emphasized its focus on ensuring that Starliner can eventually return to Earth intact. “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft,” the company said.
The Starliner’s woes add to Boeing’s mounting troubles, which already include $1.5 billion in cost overruns beyond its $4.5 billion Nasa contract and a string of safety concerns. Earlier this year, a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet, sparking further scrutiny. Boeing has also faced high-profile malfunctions and whistleblower reports highlighting safety and quality issues—some of which have tragically resulted in fatalities.