“It fits the general narrative that Boeing has lost its way,” says McDowell.
Starliner, like Crew Dragon, is a capsule-shaped spacecraft like the old Apollo missions. The spacecraft can carry up to seven astronauts, is largely autonomous and only requires major intervention in an emergency. During the test mission, which begins tonight, Wilmore and Williams will test this possibility by deliberately taking the spacecraft off course to ensure they can manually bring it back on track, as well as assessing the spacecraft’s general life support and navigation systems . While the vehicle is docked with the space station, it will undergo further testing, including training to use it as a rescue boat in the event that astronauts need to evacuate the ISS.
Starliner is reusable and Boeing says it can be flown for up to ten missions. Unlike Crew Dragon, the spacecraft has no toilet and has about the same living space as an SUV, allowing for a relatively comfortable climb into and out of orbit. Unlike the touchscreens used in Crew Dragon, it features physical hand controls and switches that the astronauts can use to control the spacecraft. Upon returning home, a heat shield protects the occupants from temperatures of approximately 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit before the vehicle parachutes, eventually landing at one of several desert landing sites in the United States with the help of airbags to cushion the fall.
Boeing is contracted with NASA to launch the Starliner to the ISS six times after this test mission, each time carrying four or five astronauts along with cargo for six-month stays aboard the station. The spacecraft will alternate missions with Crew Dragon, with one launching in February and one around August each year. This redundancy is extremely beneficial, says NASA’s Steven Siceloff, a public affairs specialist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. “If a vehicle experiences a technical problem, that doesn’t mean the space station is on its own for a while,” he says. “It means there are alternatives.”
Laura Forczyk, founder of space consulting firm Astralytical, points out that layoffs are “particularly important now because of Russia’s unreliability.” NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos continue to work together on the ISS program for now, sharing seats between Russia’s Soyuz vehicle Crew Dragon and now Starliner, despite the bitter political situation between the two nations.
But beyond those six missions, Boeing currently has no published flights planned for Starliner. “If this were SpaceX, Musk would already be talking about three or four contracts he has with famous people,” McDowell says. With the ISS also scheduled to disappear from orbit in 2030, this could mean that the Starliner – despite a decade of development and billions of dollars spent – will only have to make a few flights. “We don’t know whether Boeing currently has the capacity for further commercial missions,” says Forczyk.
NASA has sought to pursue the development of new commercial space stations in the same way as this commercial crew program, hoping to fill the gap in orbital research that will emerge after the demise of the ISS. These commercial stations could be targets for Starliner and Crew Dragon if they come to fruition, but the exact need for this endeavor remains uncertain for now. “Is there a sufficient market to support two companies doing this?” says McDowell. “I remain skeptical about commercial space stations. But if they are successful, you will need multiple options for promotion and relegation.”
Before Boeing grapples with that future, it’s just hoping for a smooth and successful crewed first flight of the Starliner. Once it’s finally in the sky with people on board, the spacecraft can begin to play the role it’s long been touted for.