In spite of significant technical difficulties, delays and costs, Boeing continues to work to eliminate critical problems with Starliner space ship, which was never able to begin full-scale operation to transport crews to the International Space Station (ISS).
After a decade of development and exceeding the budget by more than $2 billion, The Starliner is still not ready for regular flights. The last launch took place in September 2024 2008 — the unmanned spacecraft returned from the ISS to the NASA landing site in New Mexico. Such caution was due to detected helium leaks and overheating of propulsion systems.
Starliner key issues
Boeing confirmed, that experts are working on:
- elimination of leaks due to the sealing of helium valves;
- improving the operation of thermal shunts;
- solving problems with overheating of orientation engines.
All these problems caused serious delays and reluctance to launch a crew on the Starliner. Due to technical problems, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were forced to spend 9 months on the ISS — much longer, than planned. They returned to Earth only in March 2025 year aboard the SpaceX Dragon.
Starliner, first announced in 2010 year, was supposed to start regular flights already in 2015. However, more than ten years later, the program has not yet been put into operation.
NASA has still not received services under the billion dollar contract, and the nearest launch of the Starliner - without a crew - is not expected before the start 2026 year.
Time pressure: The ISS will soon complete its mission
The situation is further complicated by that, that the ISS is planned to be decommissioned already in 2030 year. Behind NASA's plans, the station will be deorbited in January 2031, and debris will fall into the South Pacific Ocean — the Point Nemo area.
This means, that the Starliner has limited “window”, to start fulfilling its main mission — transporting astronauts to the ISS. If Boeing can't meet the time frame, the effectiveness of the entire program will be questioned.
Financial background and market reaction
Against the background of delays and technical problems, Boeing shares fell by $2.42 (1.05%), trading at par $228.58 on Friday. The company's shares show negative dynamics throughout the week.
Source: https://www.spacedaily.com