--- title: "Piece Falls Off Boeing Starliner as It Trundles Toward Launchpad" description: "On its way to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Boeing's Starliner lost a piece of its windows. It's not a good look, considering the development hell." date: "2022-05-04" modified: "2022-05-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/piece-falls-off-boeing-starliner" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # Piece Falls Off Boeing Starliner as It Trundles Toward Launchpad ![On its way to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Boeing's Starliner lost a piece of its windows. It's not a good look, considering the development hell.]() *\Image: CBS\* ## Oops! After years of setbacks, Boeing is finally rolling out its Starliner spacecraft to the launchpad today for its second attempt to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Doing no favors for the spacecraft's [reputation for jankiness](), it ran into yet another mishap along the way. While strapped to the back of a large truck, a piece of the capsule's window appeared to pop off, tumbling down to the asphalt, as spotted in footage shared by *CBS* space news reporter William Harwood. https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1521887273406640138 The procession briefly stopped to check for damage before resuming its journey to Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Boeing later [confirmed to Harwood]() that it was a protective window cover that had fallen off the capsule. All told, it doesn't sound like a terribly serious issue, but the optics are terrible considering what Boeing has been through with the development of Starliner, its competitor to SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. ## Development Hell Starliner's maiden voyage back in 2020 [almost ended in disaster]() and prompted a NASA safety review, which determined Boeing had [cut several crucial corners]() in its planning. The capsule's second uncrewed test flight, originally slated for launch in August 2021, has been delayed several times, with engineers struggling with a number of issues, including [Florida's humidity corroding valves](). To prepare for said mission, the Starliner capsule is now getting ready to be stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its second attempt to make it into orbit and dock with the station. Meanwhile, SpaceX has been running laps around its competition. Both the Elon Musk-led company and Boeing have been developing space capsules as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, but only the former has managed to successfully deliver astronauts and cargo to the ISS. For now, all we can do is hope that Boeing has done its homework this time around — and that the long awaited spacecraft can finally move on from the development hell it's been stuck in for years now. **More on Starliner:** *[Boeing Says Oops, Its Multibillion Dollar Spacecraft Can’t Handle Humidity]()* ## 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]()