Boeing tries to break Elon Musk's monopoly on sending astronauts to space
Tonight’s launch was scrubbed over concern about the behavior of an oxygen valve in the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket. No date has yet been set for the next attempt.
On Monday evening, Boeing will make its first attempt to launch a crewed flight of its Starliner capsule and carry two astronauts to the International Space Station. If successful, this flight will break a four-year monopoly during which Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been the only U.S. launcher to send astronauts into orbit.
Of all the companies in the news at the moment, Boeing probably ranks dead last in terms of favorable public opinion. After a portion of a 737 Max blew out in midair, leaving a gaping hole in the cabin, many people are reluctant to get on a plane made by Boeing, much less trust in a spacecraft that had what was widely seen as a disastrous first test flight. The long-delayed Starliner is showing up years late and hugely over budget. Meanwhile, SpaceX is celebrating its eighth delivery of astronauts to the space station using the Crew Dragon.
The first crewed Starliner flight’s success is critical to Boeing’s future, but it may also be critical to NASA’s future—and Elon Musk’s as well. Because as long as Musk controls the only taxi to space, it’s hard for anyone to hold him accountable.