--- title: "Boeing’s Attempt to Compete With SpaceX Is Even More Cursed Than We Thought" description: "Boeing's Starliner has clearly been cursed from the start — but apparently it runs far deeper than initial reports suggested." date: "2022-05-13" modified: "2022-05-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-cursed" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "boeing" - "crew dragon" - "SpaceX" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # Boeing’s Attempt to Compete With SpaceX Is Even More Cursed Than We Thought ![Boeing's Starliner has clearly been cursed from the start — but apparently it runs far deeper than initial reports suggested.]() *\Image: ULA\* ## Curses Boeing's Starliner**,** its crew capsule that rivals SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, has clearly been cursed from the start — and its most recent problems run far deeper than [initial reports]() suggested. The good news is that there's still a chance Starliner is going to make its [May 19 International Space Station launch date]() after ample turmoil, [*CNBC* reports](). The bad news is that the underlying valve issue that's resulted in repeated setbacks is likely going to require a full redesign, yet another potential complication. "A valve redesign is definitely on the table," Boeing vice president Mark Nappi said during a Wednesday news conference after news of [Boeing clashing with valve manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne]() first broke. "Once we get all the information that we need, we’ll make that decision." ## Costly Mistakes As *CNBC* notes, Boeing has spent upwards of $600 million additional dollars to date due to the [repeated setbacks plaguing the launch of its Starliner spacecraft](). The cursed launch has been viewed by many as the airplane manufacturer's losing gambit to compete with SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. Both companies have been under contract with NASA to establish a new reliable way to launch astronauts into space. While SpaceX has launched [five crewed missions]() to the ISS so far, Boeing has been stuck in development hell and has yet to send an uncrewed Starliner to the orbital outpost. Nevertheless, the continued delays — many of which appear to have stemmed from the same valve issue — seem to have displeased NASA, who, in a rare about-face, [re-assign**e**d astronauts to SpaceX's Crew Dragon from Starliner]() last year after Boeing [failed to get its capsule into stable orbit](). In other words: it looks like there's even more trouble in aerospace manufacturing paradise than we thought. **READ MORE:** [Boeing considers redesigning problematic valve that has kept Starliner from flying NASA astronauts]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on Starliner's fails:** *[Piece Falls Off Boeing Starliner As It Trundles Toward Launchpad]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()