Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was designed under the same NASA program as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon — which has already carried 13 missions to orbit for NASA astronauts as well as paying customers.
That’s allowed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which from the outset intended for SpaceX and Boeing to own and operate their spacecraft. The space agency buys flights for its astronauts, and the companies are allowed to sell seats if they want.
SpaceX has taken full advantage of that: It has flown tourists and foreign astronauts to the space station in a partnership with Houston-based company Axiom. SpaceX has also flown a mission for finance billionaire Jared Isaacman called Inspiration 4 — and more are on the schedule.
But Boeing, which has suffered lengthy delays and costly setbacks during Starliner’s development, has been less certain of whether Starliner will be used for joy rides.
“Right now we’re focused on the six missions that we have on contract with NASA,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and Starliner program manager at Boeing, during a news briefing prior to the May 6 launch attempt. “The private astronaut missions are of interest later in the decade — but right now, the focus is on getting certified.”
A snippet from a Starliner overview packet posted to Boeing’s website, however, is a bit more assertive:
“We are selling the extra fifth seat on NASA missions,” the document reads. “Potential customers include commercial and government-sponsored astronauts and even private citizens flying as tourists. Starliner is also planned to be used for crew transportation to Blue Origin’s upcoming Orbital Reef commercial space station.”
