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Except Boeing is not the "least risky" option, because their vehicle hasn't even been tested. "Least risky" doesn't just mean the company record. The CST-100 is
by FD3SA 12y ago
Except Boeing is not the "least risky" option, because their vehicle hasn't even been tested. "Least risky" doesn't just mean the company record. The CST-100 is a brand new vehicle, and Boeing's oh so famous "track record" doesn't apply. Not to mention the rocket it is designed for (Blue Origin BE-3) has also yet to be tested. Doesn't look like a low risk combination to me.
Ironically, the Falcon 9 and the Dragon are indeed the "least risky" choice here, by a huge margin.
- makomk 12y agoI think the CST-100 is actually further along in terms of NASA's qualification milestones than SpaceX's Dragon, funnily enough. (Also, the Dragon V2 that the crewed version will be based on is a brand new design that hasn't been flown yet either.)