Boeing can recover from Starliner problems, but can’t afford more misfires

This article was originally published on Talk. The publication posted an article on Space.com. Voices of Experts: Review and Insights.

Loizos Heracleous is Professor of Strategy at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick.

SpaceX launched the Crew Dragon spacecraft on a rescue mission return two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) from June. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went to the space station on a Boeing. Starliner a spacecraft on its first flight with a human crew.

But several engines failed once in space It was discovered that the car was leaking helium, which is needed to run its engines. After weeks of analysis and discussion NASA And Boeing space agency engineers decided to send Wilmore and Williams House Dragon Crew due to Starliner safety issues.

For Boeing, the embarrassing episode is the latest in a long line of problems. These include fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as an in-flight door explosion on a 737 Max 9. in January 2024.

Boeing’s Starliner has been facing problems since 2014, when NASA awarded both Boeing and SpaceX with contracts to develop spacecraft that could carry astronauts and supplies to and from Earth. ISS under the Commercial Crew Program (CCP).

Connected: Astronauts would be fine on Boeing Starliner during landing, NASA says

Boeing received US$4.2 billion (£3 billion) to develop the Starliner, while SpaceX received US$2.6 billion (£1.9 billion) to develop the Crew Dragon. Despite the lower contract value, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has performed much better than Starliner, completing a successful first crewed flight in 2020 and regularly traveling to the ISS since then. Meanwhile, Starliner still has not completed a fully successful crewed flight.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft launches as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov on board on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. in Florida.

Crew-9 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on September 28, 2024. (Image credit: NASA/Keegan Barber)

At the time of the contract, SpaceX was considered something of an upstart, so the result shows how much the landscape in the space sector has changed. This is also a vote in favor iterative, flexible processes which Space X uses in contrast to Boeing’s more traditional linear development processes.

Boeing’s reputation for safety and reliability has suffered with two fatal accidents of its 737 Max aircraft. According to a congressional committee report Since 2020, the incidents have occurred amid financial pressure to compete with the relatively new Airbus A320neo family of aircraft.

That pressure has “led to massive efforts to cut costs” and maintain the 737 Max program on schedule, the report said. The committee identified several instances where “the desire to achieve these goals and expectations compromised the safety of flying passengers.” Nevertheless, Boeing still managed to spend several billion dollars share repurchase, which, among other things, can increase the company’s share price.

Boeing engineers were concerned about pressures within the company and their impact on safety. These concerns extended to the development of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), an airborne system designed to prevent aircraft from stalling by automatically adjusting the aircraft’s pitch angle. However, initially the system was excluded from aircraft documentation. Pilots unfamiliar with the system did not know how to bypass it, leading to fatal crashes.

Press conference by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the space station – YouTube

In response to the congressional report, a Boeing spokesman says the statement: “As a company, we have learned many hard lessons from these incidents…as this report acknowledges, as a result we have made fundamental changes to our company and continue to seek ways to improve.”

Faced with public outcry after the accidents, Boeing made adjustments to safety management systems And supply chain quality controls. He also added security goals as a feature of employee reward processes and is generally trying to change its culture to emphasize safety. There is also increased oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Safety culture

The partial failure of the Starliner mission does not help Boeing recover from its problems. However, the company’s reputation was not irreparably damaged. Boeing can recover and is taking the right initiatives to reemphasize its safety culture, something that is critical to the continued growth of its business.

But restoring confidence while maintaining financial performance may take years. Boeing has lost US$32 billion (£24 billion) since 2019. Although losses fell in 2023, the latest figures two premises were not encouraging about a return to profit. Boeing has a large backlog of orders, but the company needs to find ways to balance efficiency and profitability without compromising safety.

For now, the future of NASA’s commercial crew program to transport astronauts to and from the space station is secure. NASA may rely more on SpaceX as it does so to return stranded astronauts.

Other companies such as Sierra Space They are also developing spacecraft that in the future will be able to safely transport people back and forth. space. It’s possible that NASA could eventually partner with these companies for its future needs.

The US space agency prefers to have more than one supplier for critical services such as this, so it can have flexibility when needed. This is also preferable in case something goes wrong with one of the vehicles, which is called “redundancy”.

The ISS is expected to be decommissioned in 2030, when it reaches the end of its service life. NASA will likely support Boeing’s continued participation in the commercial crew program, given the sunk costs of the contract and NASA’s need to have more than one supplier.

a cone-shaped spaceship on the desert floor, surrounded by people experiencing intense hatred

Starliner landed at White Sands, New Mexico on September 6, 2024. (Image credit: NASA TV)

However, even after the ISS is ordered to burn up over the Pacific Ocean, it will likely occur commercial space stations which require vehicles to transport astronauts. However, SpaceX’s Boeing Starliner and Crew Dragon spacecraft took more than a decade to develop. So while other companies are waiting in the wings, their cars aren’t going to materialize immediately.

NASA is also building a space station in orbit around mooncalled gateway. It is part of NASA’s Artemis program. Space agency Orion spacecraft will initially serve as a crew transport, but there may be room for commercial suppliers in the future.

The goal of the Artemis program is to return humans to the Moon this decade, and Gateway will play a central role in lunar operations. NASA could also launch missions to other deep space locations from this lunar space station.

Boeing may or may not choose to be part of this bold new era of spaceflight. But he will need to fully implement the significant changes needed to restore confidence and recover from several difficult years.

Boeing can recover from Starliner problems, but can’t afford more misfires

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