NASA Bails Out Boeing with $359 Million Contract for Troubled Starliner Program

SpaceX has announced plans to retire its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft by 2030, marking the end of an era in space exploration. To fill this gap, NASA has turned to Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which will be used for missions to Low Earth Orbit.

NASA has signed a new contract with Boeing worth $359 million, on top of the $5.1 billion already paid, to help fix issues with the Starliner program. This includes an 18-month pause after the first uncrewed flight in December 2026 or January 2027, followed by a crewed flight to the ISS in mid-2028.

Boeing's Commercial Crew program manager John Mulholland expressed excitement about this new development, but critics might say it's a risk for NASA. After all, Boeing has already received billions of dollars for the Starliner program despite its troubled past.