Boeing employees feel insulted after NASA decides to use Elon Musk’s SpaceX vehicle to rescue astronauts from ISS | World News

In a cosmic glimpse of irony, Boeing Employees feel the heat after NASA I declare it SpaceXthe emerging competitor run by Elon Musk, will work to save two of Astronauts The crew of astronauts has been stranded aboard the International Space Station. The dilemma highlights a series of recent missteps by Boeing that have left many at the aerospace giant feeling “humiliated,” the New York Post reported.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched to the International Space Station in June aboard the troubled Boeing spacecraft Starliner The capsule was supposed to spend just eight days in orbit. Instead, it now faces a six-month delay before returning to Earth, due to a leak in the Starliner and a glitch in its thrusters. The solution? SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch to return them to Earth in February 2025.

The news has angered Boeing, where morale is said to be in tatters. “We’ve been through a lot of embarrassment lately, and now we’re under the microscope. This has made it a hundred times worse,” one Boeing worker in Florida lamented. The employee’s disdain for SpaceX was clear: “We hate SpaceX. We talk bad about them all the time, and now they’re bailing us out,” the Washington Post reported.
“It’s shameful. I’m embarrassed and horrified,” the worker continued. As internal tensions mount, many at Boeing are blaming NASA for what they see as a public humiliation.
NASA’s decision to go to SpaceX comes after more than two months of evaluating the Starliner’s performance. Despite Boeing’s assurances that the capsule could get Wilmore and Williams home safely, NASA deemed it too risky. “We thought Starliner could get them home safely, but NASA didn’t want to take the risk,” the Boeing employee explained. “They have their own public relations issues and don’t need two astronauts dying.”
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, noted “a slight disagreement about risk” in the talks with Boeing. While Boeing declined to comment directly on NASA’s decision, the company stressed its focus on ensuring Starliner ultimately returns to Earth intact. “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on crew and spacecraft safety,” the company said.
The Starliner problems add to Boeing’s growing woes, which already include $1.5 billion in cost overruns on its $4.5 billion NASA contract and a series of safety concerns. Earlier this year, a door panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 exploded, drawing further scrutiny. Boeing has also faced high-profile failures and whistleblower reports highlighting safety and quality issues — some of which have tragically led to fatalities.