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How is Boeing having so many issues with Starliner when it appears they have perfect success with the X-37? Is something like this due to over-compartmentalizat

• justin66 2y ago
  As wikipedia says: "Most of the activities of the X-37B project are secret." Presumably that includes some of the things that would bring about bad press.
• andyjohnson0 2y ago
  As I recall, the Starliner contract was fixed cost and the X-37 was cost plus. Its not a new observation that the space and defence part of Boeing struggles with the former after decades of the latter. But also, and obviously, Starliner is crew-rated and X-37 isn't. That introduces a lot of additional design and test complexity, as well as more conservative operational decision-making.
  • rtkwe 2y ago
    If I had to put one thing as the major boost in difficulty it'd be the crew rating. It's a lot easier to build a craft when it doesn't need to hold and maintain a breathable atmosphere.
• InTheArena 2y ago
  A with almost every defense contract, X-37 is cost plus and classified, which means that Boeing has been passing the costs on to the USA tax payer rather then have to pay for their mistakes. It’s possible that the program is perfectly run and on budget, but no transparency exists to validate that.
• voxadam 2y ago
  Beyond cost vs cost-plus contracts I wonder if part of it might be that the X-37 was designed by qualified engineers at Boeing while Starliner was co-designed with members of the US Congress.