It’s unlikely Boeing can fly all six of its Starliner missions before retirement of the ISS in 2030.
Assuming the investigation doesn’t uncover any additional problems, and NASA and Boeing return Starliner to flight with astronauts in 2026, there will not be enough time left in the space station’s remaining life—as it stands today—for Starliner to fly all six of its contracted missions at a rate of one per year. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where NASA elects to fly astronauts to the space station exclusively on Starliner, given SpaceX’s track record of success and the fact that NASA is already paying SpaceX for crew missions through the end of this decade.
It is noteworthy to mention here that NASA has only given Boeing the “Authority To Proceed” for three of the potential six operational Starliner missions. This milestone, known as ATP, is a decision point in contracting lingo where the customer—in this case, NASA—places a firm order for a deliverable. NASA has previously said it awards these task orders about two to three years prior to a mission’s launch.
Boeing makes garbage now that they have tried to push profits higher. Since the 2000’s they outsourced about 70% their parts and engineering. Big mistakes. I’ll never fly again on a Boeing. Fuck that shit.
Do you pick flights based on the plane somehow? Or do you show up at the airport and throw a tantrum when you find out it’s a Boeing. Like how the heck do you pick which plane you want to ride on.
Expedia shows the plane type, but I imagine they can change on the day without warning.