"Houston, We Have a Boeing Problem", Elon Comes to The Rescue Once Again...

Amidst today’s market madness, Boeing has now become the epitome of “Houston… we have a problem”. With their impressive record of plane hiccups including a friggin side door blowing out mid flight, a landing gear failure, and a series of Dave Calhoun “f**k ups” (not to mention all the memes), their latest failure in space is definitely the most extreme. 

(Source: CNN) 

Now of course, this dilemma has been playing out for quite some time, but the fact that two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, got space-ghosted by Boeing’s Starliner, officially puts the nail in the coffin of the company's utter demise. Also read: Imagine the company that left you in space, is now trying to get out of the space game… hilarious.

(Source: Reuters) 

In short, Boeing’s multibillion-dollar space taxi decided to throw a hissy fit mid-mission due to a propulsion system failure. As the Starliner approached the ISS, NASA began noticing a weird helium leak as the thrusters of the spacecraft started crapping out. 

This had NASA cuing full panic mode as they had to decide whether to risk bringing the crew back on a death wish… or play it safe and leave them up there until, wait for it, February 2025. Ooof…

(Source: ABC News)

Of course, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, bless his heart, tried playing down the severity of the issue, by reminding us all that “spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine.”. Thanks, Bill. We’re aware. Which is why now , we’ve all witnessed a full handbook on “what to do” when a multibillion dollar Boeing rocket ship goes full Karen: You leave the passengers up in space and turn to Elon Musk for help. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Seriously, what would we do without the guy? - Every Elon fanboy right now

You see, while these poor astronauts are now unofficial members of the Expedition 71/72 crew, while hanging out at the ISS over the next five months, staring at Earth from 250 miles above while you and I enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families… The only thing Wilmore and Williams will be looking for is a SpaceX Crew Dragon being their ultimate Uber in February 2025. 

(Source: Axios)

In result, this has become one of the largest safety decisions NASA has had to make in decades, the last being the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster where seven astronauts died. But now with this situation at hand, while NASA has funneled $4.2 billion into Starliners development, this has proved once again that Boeing is about as stable as a crack head's last tooth. 

(Source: Giphy)

Simply put, Boeing, in light of all of the other phonebook sized issues it is dealing with, the company has become unreliable. And even though, Bill Nelson ended up stating, "We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS." - Boeing's days of space exploration are likely over. See: Bill Nelson was probably paid to say that. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Especially considering that both Boeing and SpaceX have been working with NASA for over a decade on their Starliner and Crew Dragon vehicles. Which is even more interesting, because while NASA decided to splurge $4 billion on Boeing’s Starliner mission, SpaceX completed its first crew flight four years ago, and as Elon pointed out - they were able to do it far cheaper, only costing NASA $2.6 billion. Translation: Government agencies really do like overspending on things. Translation #2: SpaceX has now officially become NASA’s QB1

(Source: Giphy)

On the other hand, despite the curveballs, I have to give it to Wilmore and Williams (the two astronauts stranded) for keeping a brave face. I can’t imagine being stuck up there in limbo, while we all resume our day to day lives down on Earth. But in various briefings, Williams has shown his optimism by saying ““It feels good to float around. It feels good to be in space and work up here with the International Space Station team.” So at least they are “embracing the suck” and looking for positives. 

Wilmore and Williams (Source: NASA)

However, when it comes to Boeing - the investor optimism is leaking faster than the helium in the Starliner. Which isn’t surprising at all, considering the stock is already down a nasty -30.51% YTD, and down a blistering -51.95% over the past five years. 

So with all of this said, it’s clear that Boeing is in dire need of a resurgence. The company has definitely become a laughing stock of the sky in 2024, and this space clusterf**k” has definitely dug Boeing a deeper hole.

(Source: Seattle Times) 

Now only time will tell if Boeing’s new leadership can turn things around - you know, once they get Dave Calhoun out of the corner office. But, while some may see Boeing’s downfall as a massive “BTFD” opportunity as degenerates load up on Boeing call options… the light (if there is one) at the end of the tunnel is barely flashing.

And until there are more signals or massive signs of hope that turn up, it may be a wise (and safe) decision to abandon Boeing’s stock like they abandoned their astronauts. 

(Source: Giphy) 

At the time of this writing Boeing is down -1.35% on the day.

Stocks.News does not hold positions in any companies mentioned in the article.