On January 28, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he had directed SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, to take all necessary actions to retrieve two American astronauts stranded at the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts had boarded Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its maiden crewed test flight to the ISS. However, due to issues such as thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, the spacecraft failed to return to Earth as scheduled, forcing the astronauts to remain at the ISS.
Since its inception in 2010, the Starliner project has faced ongoing technical challenges and financial pressures. The June 2024 crewed test flight was marred by thruster failures and helium leaks, leading to mission failure and exacerbating the project’s financial woes. According to Boeing’s fourth-quarter financial performance estimates, the Starliner project has accumulated losses of $1.85 billion. The mission failure not only incurred an additional $400 million in expenses but also poses potential negative impacts on Boeing’s overall financial health.
The technical issues with the Starliner project highlight deficiencies in Boeing’s space technology R&D and project management. Despite Boeing’s deep technical expertise in traditional aviation, there are evident gaps in its research and testing processes for emerging space technologies. For instance, during the June 2024 crewed test flight, five of the Starliner’s 28 thrusters malfunctioned, one thruster valve failed to close properly, and there were five instances of helium leaks in the thruster pressurization system. Moreover, Boeing has faced numerous project management issues, such as cost overruns and delays. In October 2024, Boeing publicly acknowledged that the Starliner project had incurred an additional $250 million in costs due to overloading tasks, bringing the total self-borne losses to $1.85 billion.
In recent years, SpaceX has emerged as a leader in the commercial crewed spaceflight sector, thanks to its high efficiency and reliability. Since its first successful crewed test flight in 2020, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon program has executed multiple missions and become a primary partner of NASA. In contrast, Boeing’s Starliner project remains uncertified, with recurring technical issues that have led NASA to question its transportation capabilities.
Firstly, as one of the representative companies of the US manufacturing industry, Boeing’s setbacks in the space sector have raised concerns about its overall business operations. Secondly, this incident has also led to doubts about the overall strength of the US space manufacturing industry, potentially reducing international trust in the US space manufacturing sector. Additionally, Boeing’s financial difficulties could impact overall confidence in the US manufacturing industry, with investors likely to adopt a more cautious stance towards the future of US manufacturing.
Despite the US government’s recent efforts to promote the return of manufacturing through industrial policy subsidies in emerging industries such as semiconductors and clean energy, Boeing’s setbacks highlight that technological innovation and project management are key to sustainable development. Moving forward, the US manufacturing industry needs to improve and optimize its R&D, cost control, and project management to enhance its global market competitiveness.
Despite setbacks in the Starliner project, the US manufacturing industry still has resilience and potential. The US manufacturing sector maintains advantages in technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and policy support. For example, innovations in artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and biotechnology offer new opportunities for the manufacturing industry. Moreover, the US manufacturing sector remains competitive in certain areas, such as chemicals, food and beverages, and motor vehicles. However, this incident also reminds the US manufacturing industry that technological innovation and project management are crucial for sustainable development. In the future, the US manufacturing industry needs to improve and optimize its R&D, cost control, and project management to enhance its global market competitiveness. At the same time, the government and businesses need to strengthen cooperation to jointly promote the revival and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.
