@arstechnica lol at Boeing saying “you can’t expect a program designed like this to succeed” to excuse their failure while SpaceX already succeeded at it.
There are huge structural problems in the US market, stock buybacks and monopolies being two of them. It’s led to industry that has eaten itself and can’t respond to markets.
@arstechnica This story mirrors the issues Boeing have had in the airliner industry. Mentour Now has just done a really good video on the structural airliner division issues.
The short summary is you don't run a business which has 15 year project development cycles solely on the basis of quarterly profits announcements and get rid of divisions which make key parts of your core product.
@arstechnica I'm torn between liking Starliner a lot but also hating Boeing as a company. Kind of like how I like Crew dragon and the idea of Starship, but SpaceX has been so soured for me I can't enjoy anything they do fully.
@arstechnica I kinda feel like Starliner is Sheldon knocking on Penny's door, and she opened it before he could get out the third knock-knock-knock-Penny. Apart from the /possibility/ (what are the odds of needing a second "crewed flight test"?) of having a "second source," I really don't see any point in Starliner. Boeing blew it. Starliner is years behind (in operational experience and improvements based on it), far more expensive to fly, and seems like a much more limited spacecraft.