Boeing tries to revive its space program

Boeing’s Starliner (Source: NASA)

We all know the major Space Race players: Bezos, Branson, and Musk.

Aerospace firm Boeing will throw its name in the ring this week, with the launch of its Starliner space capsule, per The Wall Street Journal.

If successful, the mission will bring cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch is a do-over

Boeing’s previous space attempt in December 2019 failed due to a software error. At the time, Boeing was reeling from 2 fatal crashes (October 2018, March 2019) of its 737 Max commercial plane.

With Boeing’s engineering culture already in question, the dud Starliner launch only put the company into further disarray.

This next go-around is a huge opportunity for Boeing

NASA is looking for 2 companies to shuttle cargo and crew to the ISS. It currently relies on SpaceX (Musk) with Blue Origin (Bezos) knocking at the door.

Bezos is so serious about winning government contracts that he just offered NASA up to $2B to cover the cost on a separate moon lunar lander project.

This June, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said, “I hate that the other guy gets talked about more than we do.”

Can Boeing change the narrative this week?