NASA Orders SpaceX To Return Starliner Astronouts With Dragon!

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has faced significant challenges since its Inception however they haven't faced a bigger problem than the one they are dealing with now for months NASA and Boeing have been trying to safely return the two astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station using the Starliner but each attempt to resolve the spacecraft's technical issues has failed the situation became increasingly dire leading to Growing concerns about the safety and reliability of the spacecraft finally recognizing the gravity of the situation and the potential risks to astronaut safety Boeing and NASA decided to set their pride aside and seek help from SpaceX their primary competitor in the commercial crew program SpaceX which has successfully conducted multiple crude missions with its crew Dragon spacecraft agreed to assist in bringing the astronauts back to Earth after SpaceX accepted the request NASA officially made the decision to return the astronauts on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft marking a significant shift in the Dynamics between the two companies the Starliner developed as part of NASA's commercial crew program was intended to provide a reliable alternative to spacex's crew Dragon for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station in 2014 NASA awarded contracts to both Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station the goal was to Foster competition Drive Innovation and ensure that the United States had multiple options for crude space flights Boeing received $4.2 billion to develop the Starliner while SpaceX was awarded $2.6 billion for the crew dragon from the outset the competition between Boeing and SpaceX was seen as a battle between two giants each led by Visionary leaders while SpaceX quickly made strides with the development of the crew Dragon which has now completed nine successful crude missions Boeing's progress with Starliner has been slow and fraught with difficulties the Starliner first uncrewed test flight in December 2019 ended in Failure when a software glitch prevented the spacecraft from reaching the International Space Station a second uncrewed test flight in May 2022 was more successful but it too encountered problems including issues with the spacecraft's thrusters the most recent setback occurred during the Starliner approach to the International Space Station in June 2024 NASA and Boeing Engineers identified helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft's reaction control thrusters which are critical for maneuvering in space despite efforts to address these issues including additional testing and data analysis the spacecraft has not yet met NASA's stringent safety standards for human space FL flight as a result NASA decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth without its crew who will instead return on spacex's crew dragon in early 2025 what's funny about this whole situation is that spacex's crew Dragon was always an available option for returning the astronauts but Boeing and NASA acted as if there was no other choice but to rely on the Starliner the reason behind this is pretty clear Boeing desperately wanted to improve its already tarnished reputation by successfully bringing the astronauts back using the Starliner itself Boeing's image has hit an alltime low in recent years the company was supposed to finish the Starliner project years ago yet it's been plagued with delays and technical issues what makes it even worse is that Boeing received nearly double the funding from NASA compared to what SpaceX got for developing the crew Dragon specifically Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion while SpaceX received $2.6 billion despite this significant advantage in funding Boeing has struggled to deliver a reliable spacecraft it's also important to remember that Boeing isn't a newcomer to the space industry in fact they are the oldest commercial space company with Decades of experience under their belt given this one would expect Boeing to be at the Forefront of innovation and reliability however SpaceX a much younger company has outpaced Boeing in almost every way it's ironic that Boeing Starliner not only faces Technical and scheduling issues but also comes with a much heftier price tag compared to spacex's crew Dragon specifically NASA is paying around $90 million per seat for Starliner which is about 60% more expensive than the $55 million per seat cost of crew dragon with all the problems that have plagued Starliner you might wonder why NASA has continued to support Boeing's program rather than cancelling it and fully transitioning to SpaceX which has proven more reliable the answer lies largely in lobbying and the influence that Boeing wields in Washington Boeing has long been a powerful player in the Aerospace industry and its Connections in government have helped it secure additional funding and continued support even when performance has lagged behind expectations in fact when NASA considered C its losses with Starliner in 2019 due to the significant delays Boeing received an additional 287 million from NASA this extra funding was awarded despite the fact that SpaceX was already successfully launching missions and Boeing's justification for the higher per seat costs and delays often involved the argument that they had to develop Starliner from scratch unlike SpaceX which had a head start with their dragon cargo variant however this justification doesn't hold up under scrutiny first while SpaceX indeed leveraged its cargo Dragon experience Boeing's claim ignores the fact that both companies were given similar timelines and opportunities under NASA's commercial crew program SpaceX started with a clean slate for the crew Dragon designing it specifically for human space flight moreover Boeing with its extensive experience in Aerospace and its significant financial backing should have been able to match or exceed spacex's progress SpaceX didn't just develop another crew spacecraft they arguably created the most reliable spacecraft ever built spacex's crew dragon has been a remarkable success in NASA's commercial crew program the spacecraft has not only completed nine crude missions to the International Space Station but has done so with an impeccable safety record the crew dragon is launched by the Falcon 9 rocket a vehicle that has revolutionized space Transportation with its reusability as of 2024 Falcon 9 has achieved over 250 successful missions making it one of the most Dependable rockets in history its reusability has allowed SpaceX to conduct frequent launches often with the same booster being used multiple times which has significantly reduced the cost of sending payloads and people into space if you've made it this far into the video we've got a special surprise for you we're offering the most realistic Starship models exclusively to our most loyal viewers and at the most affordable price if you're still watching it means you're truly one of our dedicated fans so go ahead and grab your Starship model the link is right in the description below don't miss out on this limited time offer now back to our topic for Boeing the setbacks with Starliner are causing serious problems the company was initially expected to complete six crude flights to the International Space Station under its contract with NASA however the repeated delays and Technical challenges have put these plans in Jeopardy additionally Boeing is facing Financial losses on the Starliner program and there is increasing pressure on the company to demonstrate that it can deliver a safe and reliable spacecraft thanks for watching and I hope to see you in the next video