Boeing Spent a Shit Ton of Cash on the Disastrous Starliner Spacecraft

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is rapidly approaching financial boondoggle status. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Boeing revealed that it had spent $523 million on the project last year. That is on top of the over $2 billion in losses the company experienced overall.

The star liner’s troubles are best surmised and its inaugural mission, launched in June 2024, was meant to transport astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the international space station. The mission was marred by technical issues like leaks and malfunctioning thrusters.

The astronauts have been stranded in space well beyond their expected journey time.

Boeing Has Spent An Enormous Amount Of Money On Its Disastrous Starliner Spacecraft

They’re still up there. NASA recently announced it will be moving up the timetable for their return, though the plan has faced some challenges as space exes new Dragon vehicle seems to be having issues with the batteries in its Dragon capsule.

While NASA has reported progress on some of the Starliner’s most glaring issues, several problems persist, including malfunctions with thrusters. At the moment, NASA is not sure whether Starliner will ever fly again, especially since Boeing has hinted that it might outright cancel the project entirely.

There are even rumors that Boeing might sell its space division, including Starliner, to recoup some of its massive financial losses. It should be noted that Boeing’s commercial jet business has been going great. And all of this drama has been compounded by disputes with its labor force.