Boeing, once a major player in the space sector, has suffered a series of setbacks, failures and legal challenges in recent years that have undermined its dominance in the space industry. The company’s space unit has been overtaken by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and has had to watch from the sidelines as other companies have forged ahead with ambitious programs, from sending astronauts to the International Space Station to returning humans to the surface of the Moon.
On Friday, Boeing will try to repair its reputation during an uncrewed test of its Starliner astronaut capsule to the ISS. This will be the capsule’s second launch, coming a year and a half after its first attempt failed to reach the space station. Eighteen months of grueling technical research and a series of management changes have brought Boeing back to the launch pad for a $410 million refurbishment that would put it on track for its first launch with humans on board later this year. SpaceX, Boeing’s rival in NASA’s commercial crew program, is far ahead, with three astronaut missions already under its belt.
