Anyone following this shit show?
Things are getting spicy..
Boeing had a had twice the budget of space X
delays have cost Boeing $
1.5 billion in charges.
Then -
"In 2014, NASA narrowed the crew competition to just two companies, Boeing and SpaceX. At that time, the space agency awarded Boeing $4.2 billion in funding for development of the Starliner spacecraft and six operational crew flights. Later, in an award that NASA's own inspector general described as "unnecessary," NASA paid Boeing
an additional $287.2 million. This brings Boeing's total to $
4.49 billion,
BOEING $4.49 billion.
Space X - 2.6 billion
Now -
According to media reports, a buzzing sound indicating the leaking valve was noticed by someone walking by the Starliner minutes before launch. This sound could indicate that the valve has passed its lifecycle.”
While the Starlined has struggled,
the Atlas V rocket is a proven launch vehicle and has been in service since 2002. The Atlas V was designed by Lockheed Martin and is currently produced by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The rocket is nearing retirement with only 17 launches left before it’s replaced by the ULA’s Vulcan, the collaboration’s first new rocket design.
ULA’s Vulcan,
the lower stage is powered by a pair of the controversial
BE-4 engines, manufactured by
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin. Originally planned to be custom-made for Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle, ULA ultimately agreed with the company to use these engines for Vulcan Centaur.
Marred by constant development and production delays, Blue Origin initially claimed the engines would be
“flight ready” by 2017, but this was pushed back repeatedly.
Reportedly, the relationship between ULA and Blue Origin has been rocky due to the five-year delay.
BE-4 has never been flight-tested, so Vulcan’s maiden launch later this year will mark its first real-life use — a possible risk point for a risk-averse company like the ULA
