Boeing prepares to bring Starliner home, as spaceship helps restore its reputation

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A former Boeing employee who exposed safety problems at the company has been found dead in the United States.
A former employee of Boeing who blew the whistle on safety problems at the company has been found dead.

Aerospace giant Boeing is prepping to bring its Starliner capsule back to Earth today, following its successful docking at the International Space Station (ISS) five days ago.

It will be the final step in the test flight, which will prove whether Boeing’s unmanned space vehicle will be a viable option for astronauts being ferried to and from the ISS.

While there was an early issue in two of Starliner’s thrusters, crucial for stabilising in orbit, the second attempt to reach the ISS has so-far been successful, having failed once before in 2019, raising hopes that Boeing’s ship really will put humans on Mars.

Boeing has been building its space division for some time, but is now competing with the likes of SpaceX to provide tech for future NASA missions, such as its Artemis mission to the moon and its Mars exploration programme.

However, with Russia’s Soyuz rocket, which had previously been shipping humans to the ISS, out of action as a result of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, analysts expect there to be a large gap in the market for space launchers.

Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 Prelaunch
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – AUGUST 2: In this NASA handout, A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeings Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliners second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 1:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 3, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system’s capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) (Photo by /NASA via Getty Images)

The Orbital Flight Test-2 has helped restore Boeing’s reputation following previous failures within and outside of its space branch.

The shadow of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, which has come under intense scrutiny following electrical issues and two major accidents, has continued to loom over the aerospace firm.

If all goes well with Starliner’s return home – its final obstacle – the spacecraft will be in the clear to carry humans in another test flight, which could happen by the end of this year.