SpaceX Competitor - Boeings Starliner Faces HUGE Delays

In a recent press conference, Boeing's Vice President and Starliner manager, Mark Nappi, announced a potential readiness of their spacecraft by early March. However, he emphasized that this doesn't guarantee a March launch. The forthcoming dates will be finalized in collaboration with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the International Space Station (ISS), and United Launch Alliance (ULA).

The Starliner was initially set for a July 21 launch, intending to transport NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore to the ISS. But an unexpected twist came weeks before the launch when Boeing declared an indefinite postponement, following the emergence of two significant safety challenges. Since these setbacks, both Boeing and NASA have reportedly rectified the capsule’s safety issues.

Steve Stich, the head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, conveyed that multiple independent review layers have been established to address and overcome these complications. One of the major concerns was related to the load capacity of Starliner’s trio of parachutes. Tests showed that their failure load limits were below expected, suggesting that if one parachute failed, the remaining duo might not slow the spacecraft adequately for its New Mexico landing.