"We still believe in Starliner's capability": The press release issued by Boeing on Wednesday, August 8, is in line with the recent acts of a company that has undermined the confidence of the public and the authorities by masking its failings. So, is Boeing right when it claims that its space capsule is capable of bringing back to Earth the two American astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June and until further notice, for a stay that was supposed to last eight days? No one knows, but the odyssey of astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams doesn't help the disastrous image of a company more concerned with its lucrative civilian and military contracts than with the safety of its passengers.
The launch of Starliner's first manned flight went ahead, despite numerous bumps on the road. In May, the launch had to be scrapped due to a "small helium leak." On June 1, it was canceled due to a computer failure 3.5 minutes before liftoff. The astronauts eventually took off on June 5, but in retrospect, it appears that Boeing was not up to the job.
During the approach flight to the ISS, helium leaks continued, while five of the Starliner's 28 thrusters shut down at some point during the flight. So much so that NASA is considering calling on Elon Musk's company, which launched at the same time as NASA in 2014, to send astronauts back into space, and has been doing so successfully since 2020, while Boeing has been unable to do so.
The capsule's ordeal threatens its entire, heavily loss-making program. In an America whose solidarity with its astronauts is legendary, the American press is refraining from commenting on Boeing. It just reports the facts, with dismay.
The failure is widespread. Denial has been Boeing's go-to reaction since the fatal crashes of two poorly designed Boeing 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 and the ripping out of a door plug, the bolts of which had not been screwed back on an Alaska Airlines aircraft in early January. Officially, things have changed since Robert Kelly Ortberg, the aeronautical giant's new CEO, took office on Thursday, August 8. His mission is to save an American icon in distress. "While we clearly have a lot of work to do in restoring trust, I’m confident that working together, we will return the company to be the industry leader we all expect," Ortberg wrote to his employees on Thursday. "In speaking with our customers and industry partners leading up to today, I can tell you that without exception, everyone wants us to succeed. In many cases, they NEED us to succeed."
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