Boeing’s Starliner program incurred substantial financial setbacks in 2024, reporting over half a billion dollars in charges. This brings the total cumulative losses on the commercial crew vehicle to more than $2 billion. The company's 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission detailed a staggering $523 million charge specifically attributed to “schedule delays and higher testing and certification costs as well as higher costs for post certification missions.”
These losses follow previous charges: $125 million in the second quarter and $250 million in the third quarter of 2024. A subsequent warning in January predicted further losses in the fourth quarter, ultimately amounting to an estimated $148 million. The $523 million charge for 2024 surpasses even the previous record of $489 million reported in 2019.
The company acknowledges ongoing risks, stating in its 10-K filing, “Risk remains that we may record additional losses in future periods.” Despite these significant financial repercussions, Boeing executives remained silent on the Starliner program during their January 28 earnings call. Uncertainty shrouds the program's future, with no public statements from either Boeing or NASA regarding potential future crewed or uncrewed test flights.
A January 30 meeting of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel shed some light on the ongoing investigation into Starliner's problems encountered during the Crew Flight Test. While NASA reported “significant progress” on certain issues, critical thruster problems that prompted the spacecraft's uncrewed return remain unresolved. Paul Hill, a panel member, commented, “The details shared by NASA gave us confidence that they are focusing on the right core issues and the related path to safely flying Starliner,” although he provided no timeline for future flights.