Boeing employees feel ‘insulted’ that SpaceX will rescue stranded astronauts in space

Boeing employees feel “insulted” after NASA announced that two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station by the company’s troubled Starliner capsule will have to be rescued by Elon Musk’s rival SpaceX, a Boeing employee told The Washington Post.

Butch Wilmaur and Suni Williams, who went to the International Space Station in June on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission, will have to wait another six months for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to safely bring them back to Earth because their original flight is leaking helium and has engine problems.

A Florida-based Boeing space program employee said the decision was the latest blow to the aerospace giant, which is already suffering from backlash over a series of commercial flight accidents earlier this year.

“We’ve been through a lot of embarrassment lately, we’ve been under the microscope. This has made it 100 times worse,” said one worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We hate SpaceX, we talk crap about them all the time, and now they’re saving us,” he added.

“It’s shameful, I feel embarrassed and terrified,” the employee said.

While morale was “in the bathroom,” the worker claimed that many people at Boeing blamed NASA for the humiliation.

Boeing says its Starliner spacecraft can safely return astronauts to Earth after putting them aboard the International Space Station during its first crewed flight on June 5.

But NASA decided to turn to SpaceX for help after more than two months of testing the vehicle, which is still docked at the International Space Station.

The Boeing spacecraft suffered a helium leak just before liftoff, and the leaks got worse when the spacecraft docked at the International Space Station.

The spacecraft also suffered several failures with its thrusters. While many of those issues have since been mitigated, NASA said the safest decision was for Wilmore and Williams to return as part of SpaceX’s Dragon Crew 9 mission in February 2025.

“We thought the Starliner could get them home safely, but NASA didn’t want to take the risk,” the employee said.

“They have their own PR issues and don’t need two dead astronauts,” he added. “But we didn’t think there would be dead astronauts. We would never have recommended they use us if they thought it would be unsafe for them.”

Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said talks with Boeing “ended up with a simple disagreement about risk.”

Boeing has not commented on NASA’s decision to go with SpaceX, instead telling The Washington Post that it is focused on making sure Starliner can return to Earth intact.

“Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and the spacecraft,” the company said.

Boeing has spent about $1.5 billion on cost overruns on top of the initial $4.5 billion contract it secured with NASA, which hopes to make Starliner the second vehicle to the International Space Station alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

Starliner’s problems could threaten that future and further damage Boeing’s already troubled reputation in the aerospace industry.

The company has been facing safety concerns since the beginning of the year, when a door panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 exploded after it appeared to be missing four key bolts.

Boeing has faced several other high-profile failures with its aircraft, with at least 20 whistleblowers coming forward to voice concerns about safety and quality issues at the aviation giant – Some of them ended up dead.