After the Starliner had to leave two astronauts stranded in space, on the International Space Station (ISS), Boeing was able to sell its space division.
Due to problems with Boeing's Starliner capsule, two North American astronauts who went into space on an eight-day mission in June will be held on the International Space Station until February 2025. In a controversial change of plans, the astronauts will return aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stranded on International Space Station
Boeing, which owns Starliner, is reportedly in talks to sell the plane. United Launch Alliance (ULA), the company that operates it in cooperation with Lockheed Martin. According to ReutersThe two companies are in talks with Sierra Space, which is developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane. If the ULA sale goes through, it could be worth up to $3 billion, though details of the sale aren’t official.
The information indicates that although the problems with Starliner began a few months ago, a sale to ULA has been an option for several years.
With ULA under its control, Sierra Space It would accelerate development of the Dream Chaser space plane. Boeing, on the other hand, would focus on its business, although it would retain its aerospace and defense subsidiary.
It should be noted that the ULA sale is not entirely due to Starliner. The joint venture was founded in 2006 with the goal of maintaining the space rocket business. Over time, SpaceX has developed and introduced reusable rockets that reduce the cost of launch by up to four times, making it even more attractive.
Although ULA’s strategy is centered around the U.S. Department of Defense’s missions, the commercial side is not. And while it’s hard to predict the future of Starliner, NASA has already revealed that it’s confident the capsule will be a viable alternative, as long as it solves these problems.
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