Boeing is gearing up to launch its spacecraft, Starliner, amidst various challenges faced by the aerospace giant. The launch is scheduled for May and will carry two astronauts, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams, according to a report by Space.com.
"The launch date is as early as May 1st. This is based on the traffic to the International Space Station, as we know this year is a very busy year for the ISS," said Steve Stitch, Manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Boeing announced the launch schedule for its spacecraft at a time when the company was surrounded by negative news due to several incidents involving its airplanes. Earlier this year, the door of one Boeing 737 aircraft came off during flight. Additionally, a Boeing employee who leaked issues related to the planning and production of Boeing aircraft was found dead.
Boeing's CEO, Dave Calhoun, also announced his resignation amidst these challenges.
The developments in Boeing's "space" business mirror the struggles faced by its aerospace business.
According to Ars Technica, last August, the Starliner project faced investigations by three independent parties due to various issues encountered during test flights. One of the incidents involved a portion of the spacecraft's body coming off during launch.
These issues were also acknowledged by Boeing's Starliner program manager, Mark Nappi.
"We have been working to prepare this spacecraft for flight and have addressed two issues we experienced last summer, namely the parachute system and flammable adhesive. We are fairly confident that both issues have been resolved," Nappi said.
Boeing lags far behind its competitor, Elon Musk's SpaceX. Both Boeing and SpaceX successfully secured contracts to provide transportation services for astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Despite spending $1 billion, Boeing has yet to achieve success, while SpaceX has been fully operational, providing launch and return services for astronauts to the ISS.