--- title: "Boeing Is Getting Absolutely Destroyed by SpaceX" description: "Gap Widens Back in June, it was announced that the crewed launch of Boeing's many-billion-dollar Starliner — a privately-built rocket that's long been billed as a competitor to SpaceX's spacecraft arsenal — has been delayed, this time due to another round of hardware issues. As a result, Boeing said on Monday, Starliner won't launch until […]" date: "2023-08-10" modified: "2023-08-10" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-crew-dragon-gap" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "boeing" - "SpaceX" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # Boeing Is Getting Absolutely Destroyed by SpaceX ![Boeing's latest Starliner delay highlights the widening gap between it and SpaceX, which is slated to launch its seventh crewed NASA mission.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Gap Widens Back in June, Boeing announced that the crewed launch of its many-billion-dollar Starliner — a privately-built spacecraft that's long been billed as a competitor to SpaceX's growing arsenal, but particularly its astronaut-launching Crew Dragon — had [been delayed]() yet again, this time due to another round of hardware issues. As a result, Boeing [said on Monday](), Starliner won't launch until March 2024 *at the earliest.* And NASA, which has an ungodly amount of cash vested into the still-unrealized crewed craft, will be separately investigating its failures (which, this time, are specifically related to its parachutes' "soft link" joints system and, uh, *flammable tape* lining the craft's interior, according to *Space.com*.) Per [*Ars Technica*](), Boeing is now facing three separate NASA inquiries as it eyes a hopeful 2024 test. It's an embarrassing failure on the military contractor's behalf, and as [*ExtremeTech* points out](), this latest Boeing fumble only highlights the growing gap between the longtime aerospace titan and the newer, Elon Musk-helmed SpaceX — and rest assured, SpaceX is winning that battle. Big time. ## Favorite Child For the uninitiated, Boeing and SpaceX were simultaneously [awarded flush NASA contracts]() to build crewed rockets back in 2014, a major milestone in NASA's renewed efforts to get humans back into space. But over the years since, Boeing's quest to kick its Starliner into gear have been nothing short of cursed. Though the Boeing-built spacecraft [did finally make it]() into orbit — and manage to succesfully dock, [uncrewed](), at the ISS last year — its attempts at a crewed mission have been plagued by a [long series]() of [hardware and software issues](), [straight-up shoddiness](), and shameful company attempts to [skirt basic safety precautions]() to boot. As it stands, per *ExtremeTech*, Boeing has reported a staggering $1.1 billion in losses on Starliner. Given the vast expense of the spacecraft, each unforced error has left Boeing *and* NASA with a fair share of egg on their faces. SpaceX, meanwhile, has charged ahead, with the Musk-founded firm now eyeing its *seventh* crewed flight for NASA, slated for [later this month](). So, you know, probably safe to say that America's space agency has a favorite kid. Can't blame 'em, though. By all accounts, Boeing's Starliner is a total failson, and even with the family gold card in hand, it just can't seem to get its shit together. Could Starliner finally find its footing in 2024? Maybe. But we won't hold our breath. **More on space:** [*Europe Worried about Nasty Crotch Situation among Moon Astronauts*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()