The launch of the first Boeing Co. Starliner started promisingly enough, with CEO Dennis Muilenburg on hand to cheer as a rocket blasted the capsule into the pre-dawn Florida sky to pioneer a new era in space flight.
But as the unmanned spacecraft entered orbit, it was embarrassingly off course for a planned rendezvous with the International Space Station. While the Starliner is expected to parachute to Earth this weekend, its failure to reach the orbiting lab capped an atrocious year for Boeing and its embattled chief executive officer.
The Starliner’s mishap delivered the latest blow to Boeing’s century-old legacy of engineering prowess, adding to the pressure on the board as 2019 draws to a close.
