Boeing 'Lands' as Company Suffering Record Losses from Space Project

The CST-100 Starliner program continues to cause problems for Boeing. The total losses for the creation and launch of the commercial-class manned spacecraft are now estimated at $2 billion (RUB 200 billion).


Boeing Corporation filed its annual report on Form 10-K with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. According to this document, the company recorded additional expenses in the amount of 523 million dollars (52 billion rubles).

Schedule delays, increased funding for testing and certification, and increased flight costs are cited as the main reasons for the significant costs. Notably, this is not the first time that the Starliner project has encountered unplanned costs.


In the second and third quarters of last year, Boeing already reported new losses, but the corporation's representative office did not name the exact amounts. The published report made it possible to calculate all the "figures". For example, in the last quarter, $148 million (14 billion rubles) was spent on the Starliner.

The losses were record-breaking in the history of the project. The previous maximum was recorded in 2019. Based on the presented report, the risks of further financial losses remain.

At the recent conference on commercial results, Boeing management did not touch on the Starliner topic. Therefore, at the moment it is unknown when the ship will fly again. Also, the launch format remains a mystery - a test with or without a crew, or a full-fledged mission.

Let us recall that the CST-100 Starliner is a reusable manned spacecraft. Boeing has been developing it since 2014 as part of the Commercial Capability Capability (CCtCap) Program.

The main dimensions and configuration of the device are as follows:

✅ length - 5 m
✅ diameter – 4,5 m
✅ useful volume – 11 cubic meters
✅ crew – up to 7 people

The first partially successful launch of the ship took place five years ago, and the manned launch was carried out in 2024. The device was created as an alternative to the Crew Dragon from Elon Musk's well-known company SpaceX or our "Eagle", which is being developed by RSC Energia.


The "fate" of the project remains unclear. Given the amount of financial costs, it is difficult to estimate what will be more profitable for Boeing - to complete the development or abandon Starliner altogether.

Experts are still inclined to the first scenario. The hypothesis is confirmed by the main theses of the NASA Advisory Council meeting.

Agency officials reviewed the progress of the investigation into problems during the crewed test flight. Analysts said the team had made "significant progress" on a number of issues, including the cause of the engine failure.