Boeing Starliner

Or perhaps the end of it. The clock is ticking for the ISS retirement, not sure whether Boeing will have enough time to solve all the issues and fly regularly. With all the time they lost since 2019...
 
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end

GaxE8SCXgAA2b2n

source X
 
From the WSJ article:

"Before Ortberg joined, Boeing held discussions with Blue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, about taking over some of the NASA programs, people familiar with those discussions said. Blue Origin has been preparing its own rockets for future NASA and commercial missions and to compete with SpaceX.
Both the Starliner program and Boeing’s work for the ISS face uncertainty, ..."

Also mentions the already reported attempts by LM and Boeing to unload ULA.

 
I am hardly surprised at this news. The recent events have shown that Boeing has too many feet in too many areas.
 
Selling everything BUT SLS huh?

When I first heard this, I thought Elon could buy the space division just to kill that—but that would be a more costly decision than SLS and Twitter combined…

A Boeing acquisition could be a poison pill to SpaceX like MacDoug was to Boeing:
qz.com

The 1997 merger that paved the way for the Boeing 737 Max crisis

Only now, with the plane indefinitely grounded, are we beginning to see the scale of its effects.
qz.com qz.com

If Musk bought that (or Bezos) for that matter, there would be monopoly allegations, union unrest, etc.

The worst thing, however, is that money from the sale would go into the pockets of the very shareholders who cratered the space division in the first place—with engineers and technicians getting the axe yet *again* …that should not be allowed.

I’d rather see it nationalized and/or given to Dynetics, Stoke—ANYBODY who actually wants to build things—as opposed to it just being another trophy for Bezos to collect dust.
 
Same thoughts here publiusr, giving Boeing's space division to the likes of SpaceX or Blue Origin would just be plain wrong. I would sooner have it nationalised possibly under NASA since they have the SLS.
 
FighterJock said:
Same thoughts here publiusr, giving Boeing's space division to the likes of SpaceX or Blue Origin would just be plain wrong. I would sooner have it nationalised possibly under NASA since they have the SLS.
Click to expand...
There is no need to nationalize industries in the US. Also, NASA does not run industries. BO would be a good choice.
 
Last edited:
publiusr said:
Selling everything BUT SLS huh?

When I first heard this, I thought Elon could buy the space division just to kill that—but that would be a more costly decision than SLS and Twitter combined…

A Boeing acquisition could be a poison pill to SpaceX like MacDoug was to Boeing:
qz.com

The 1997 merger that paved the way for the Boeing 737 Max crisis

Only now, with the plane indefinitely grounded, are we beginning to see the scale of its effects.
qz.com qz.com

If Musk bought that (or Bezos) for that matter, there would be monopoly allegations, union unrest, etc.

The worst thing, however, is that money from the sale would go into the pockets of the very shareholders who cratered the space division in the first place—with engineers and technicians getting the axe yet *again* …that should not be allowed.

I’d rather see it nationalized and/or given to Dynetics, Stoke—ANYBODY who actually wants to build things—as opposed to it just being another trophy for Bezos to collect dust.
Click to expand...
Musk has no need for any of Boeing products. Bezos would be a better choice. There would be no monopoly allegations with Blue Origin. BO doesn't build spacecraft.

Stoke doesn't have the wherewithal or knowledge to manage it and neither does Dynetics, who hasn't built anything that matters.
 
Wall Street Journal is reporting that Boeing maybe considering selling its space division.
Plus an implicit criticism of NASA's fixed price contracts (well Boeing would say that wouldn't they, why can't they charge 10 bazillion bucks?)

WSJ is paywalled hence my link to this UK news item - which contains a link to the WSJ site.
www.theguardian.com

Raised eyebrows as Boeing reportedly mulls sale of stellar space enterprise

Company that helped build Nasa’s Saturn V rockets said to be keen to focus on fixing problems in core aircraft business
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Not long ago, Space News ran an article about diversification:
spacenews.com

Launch companies need to diversify to survive, say industry executives

Industry executives believe that pure-play launch companies need to diversify into other areas to survive in a demanding market that remains dominated by SpaceX.
spacenews.com spacenews.com

One one hand, some could argue that Boeing was all but forced to grow so that it could survive any slowdown in defense contracts.

Then too, acquisitions could wind up a poison pill like MacDoug.

I fear for smaller space firms that may diversify, only to have the core space division wind up being cut. Boeing is doing just that…so there may be a temptation for smaller, publicly traded NewSpace company shareholders to focus on divisions that don’t have up-front costs like aerospace.

How do you thread the needle?

In Boeing’s case—going aviation first is wise because that is their chief identity.

In sports teams, identity is stressed as an intangible of some importance.

Do too many things, and you wind up doing poorly—yet in nature, generalists thrive—while specialists like Cheetahs—and stabbing cats—have a hard time.
 
publiusr said:
I fear for smaller space firms that may diversify, only to have the core space division wind up being cut. Boeing is doing just that…so there may be a temptation for smaller, publicly traded NewSpace company shareholders to focus on divisions that don’t have up-front costs like aerospace.
Click to expand...
It said launch companies. Not space companies. Launch companies need to do more like ground systems, propulsion systems, satellites, etc
 
Starliner might be back on Earth, Butch and Suni's return has been postponed. Again.
www.bbc.com

Nasa astronauts Butch and Suni face further delay in homcoming

Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the space station will have to wait even longer to get home.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.

Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.

Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.

Nasa said the delay posed no risk to the astronauts.
Click to expand...
More at the link.
 
They should never have been up there at this time of year. I want to see a mission to rescue them take off at some point during the first quarter of next year.
 

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