--- title: "NASA Paying SpaceX Half of Boeing’s Price to Launch Astronauts" description: "NASA is will be paying Boeing twice as much for each Starliner seat to the International Space Station than SpaceX, Ars Technica reports." date: "2022-09-01" modified: "2022-09-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-boeing-spacex-astronaut-cost" categories: - "Boeing" - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "boeing" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # NASA Paying SpaceX Half of Boeing’s Price to Launch Astronauts ![NASA is will be paying Boeing twice as much for each Starliner seat to the International Space Station than SpaceX, Ars Technica reports.]() *\Image: Boeing\* ## Expensive Tickets NASA is will be paying Boeing twice as much for each Starliner seat to the International Space Station than it's paying SpaceX for equivalent Crew Dragon tickets, [*Ars Technica* reports](), in a price differential that's becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile as Boeing has yet to successfully launch a single astronaut into orbit. This week, the space agency [confirmed]() that it has awarded SpaceX with five additional crewed missions to the station, bringing the total up to 14 through 2030, at which point the station is scheduled to [finally be retired](). Boeing was awarded contracts for six crewed flights throughout the same time period — but is still getting almost as much funding from NASA as SpaceX. That means, according to *Ars*' calculations, that NASA will spend $183 million for each seat on board a Boeing Starliner across all planned missions, while it's pay SpaceX just $88 million per seat — which is less than half. ## Finish Line Given Boeing's plagued development of its Starliner — the capsule failed to reach a stable orbit during its [first catastrophic test flight]() back in December 2019 — it seems like an awfully steep price that's becoming harder to justify with every delay. The company has made little progress since then, [limping into orbit]() during its second attempt in May while suffering engine failures along the way, but with no crew on board. The first crewed Starliner mission is tentatively scheduled for early next year, with NASA [assigning two brave souls]() to take the capsule for its inaugural crewed test ride back in June. ## Running Laps In the longer term, Boeing may also struggle finding available rockets to launch the spacecraft, with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) retiring its Atlas V rocket after six Starliner missions, *Ars* reports. That means the company have have to turn to the ULA's other unproven Vulcan rocket, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin — or even SpaceX — for a rocket ride. Since NASA's Commercial Crew program is fixed price, Boeing will likely have to shoulder the costs for any incurred budget overruns. In fact, sources told *Ars* the Starliner program has already proven to be a major money drain for the company. In short, Boeing is far behind SpaceX's immense progress at this point, which means NASA will likely have even more difficulties justifying the billions of dollars it's spending to keep both companies in the running. **READ MORE:** [NASA will pay Boeing more than twice as much as SpaceX for crew seats]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More on Boeing:** *[Piece Falls Off Boeing Starliner as It Trundles Toward Launchpad]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()