Back in June (and I’m too lazy to look for it) I posted an IMHO that NASA had already determined that the craft wasn’t safe to return the astronauts, but that Boeing didn’t want that outcome.
Boeing’s suits want to keep testing hoping to iron out the craft’s problems, but more delay just means more decay. NASA is allowing it because, well armies of lobbyists, and pressure from the Biden junta. Biden’s FAA put a ridiculous hold on (unmanned) Falcon 9 launches due to an upper stage failure during a satellite launch attempt, Spacex’ first failure in years.
I doubt that the Starliner craft will even survive reentry to the extent that there will be wreckage to analyze, so the only time to get data will be while it’s still docked, and/or in independent orbit with no one aboard.
Ultimately I think that’s what will be the outcome — Boeing doesn’t want a big public failure during unmanned reentry, and will just let it float by itself. When the data stream indicates that complete vehicle failure is imminent, it’ll be told to ditch in an empty stretch of the Pacific. That’ll be months from now.
That way, Boeing will claim this as a “successful failure” and crow about crew safety being paramount.
The hold on SpaceX was obviously lifted since there were three successful Falcon9 launches this past weekend.
So you believe that ultimately SpaceX will bring these astronauts back to earth? What else is possible. Soyuz?
The reason Boeing had to partner with SAIC to win the FCS program was because Boeing didn’t have enough votes in Congress by itself to get funding. Because of this we ended up with two chefs and no leads on the biggest, most expensive project the army ever had. It was a predictable disaster. But it was such a disaster because Boeing could get literally anything funded via politics whether it made sense of not.