Boeing Vs. SpaceX: Will Union Talk Stumbles, Space Travel Weaken Aerospace Giant's Standing Against Elon Musk's Company?
- by Benzinga.com
- Sep 24, 2024
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Chris Katje, Benzinga Staff Writer
September 24, 2024 3:01 PM
| 3 min read BA
has endured a tumultuous 2024, grappling with airplane safety concerns, astronauts stranded in space, and serious contract disputes with union workers.
The company's battle with SpaceX over space contracts may face significant challenges in the coming months and years due to these recent setbacks.
What Happened: Boeing is currently facing a battle with union workers over contract demands
, as over 30,000 employees have gone on strike. As a result of the contract disputes, the company has also placed a freeze on hiring and considered furloughs
. The labor battle compounds the company's recent troubles and could provide fuel for rival SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk in future contracts with space agencies like NASA.
SpaceX has been dominating the space sector for many years and its recently complete space walk could lead to the company landing more deals, especially considering the concerns facing Boeing and its space division.
After several delays, Boeing sent the Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5.
The Starliner was supposed to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth on June 14,
but the duo remains stuck on the ISS due to complications with the spacecraft.
Ironically, it will be SpaceX that brings the astronauts home next year aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Musk has often criticized Boeing and other companies that have won larger contracts than SpaceX, despite his space company's leadership and success in the sector.
"Our Dragon spacecraft is the only spacecraft capable of taking any significant cargo down from the Space Station," Musk said back in 2014. "They only take stuff up, they take up less than we do, and they take nothing down, and they get paid twice as much per mission as we do."
The Dragon landed a $2.6 billion contract in 2014 and has made multiple trips to the International Space Station. Boeing was awarded a similar contract in 2014 for ISS travel and the Starliner, but with a higher value of more than $4 billion. The June mission was Boeing's first to the Space Station.
Boeing’s safety concerns, Starliner struggles, and potential labor disruptions from union negotiations may all be factors that NASA and other organizations consider when awarding future contracts. Compare that to SpaceX, which has had successful missions, and Musk's well-known anti-union beliefs, resulting in fewer wage-related issues at his companies over the years.
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