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Boeing has played down suggestions it’s set to exit the space sector despite issues with both its Starliner and Space Launch System vehicles.
Speaking at an industry event in Washington, Michelle Parker, a vice president for the aerospace giant, insisted space was “core” to the business.
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“We are investing heavily in this area,” she said. “We’re looking forward to delivering capabilities to the customer this year, next year and well beyond that.”
It comes after The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Boeing was discussing selling a portion of the company responsible for its beleaguered Starliner vehicle and after the overall business suffered its second-biggest annual loss in 2024.
The US aerospace giant lost US$11.8 billion in 2024, taking its total losses since last year to more than US$35 billion.
The results followed a year to forget for Boeing, which began with the mid-air blowout of a door plug on board an Alaska Airlines MAX 9.
Later, in September, it emerged that Boeing’s Starliner space capsule would return to Earth from the International Space Station without its astronauts following a problem with its thrusters.
The decision meant Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore would now not come home until this month and would do so on a rival SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Previously, Boeing and NASA strongly denied any suggestion the pair would not return on Starliner, despite the potential to send it back home autonomously without crew.
The accumulation of problems at Boeing then led it to announce late last year that it would cut 10 per cent of the company’s overall workforce, or around 17,000 roles.
“Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,” Kelly Ortberg, chief executive at Boeing, told staff.
Other issues that plagued Boeing in 2024 included the delay in delivering its upcoming flagship 777X long-range passenger jet until 2026 and the removal of the head of its defence and space division, Ted Colbert III.
Separately, in August last year, NASA’s internal watchdog criticised Boeing’s work on the Space Launch System, the vehicle central to NASA’s Artemis mission.
NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said there were “significant” issues with Boeing’s work on the Block 1B version of SLS, which it attributed to a lack of an acceptable quality management system and trained workforce.
“According to NASA contracting officials, Boeing cannot produce a realistic baseline delivery date for the EUS due to continuing deficiencies in its EVMS,” the report concluded.
“Given Boeing’s quality management and its related workforce challenges, we are concerned these factors could potentially impact the safety of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, including its crew and cargo.”
