Enlarge / Can Boeing unlock a bright future for the Starliner spacecraft? (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)
In September 2009, Boeing announced that it would participate in NASA's new "commercial crew" program. The aerospace industry leader vowed to bring its long experience in supporting the space agency and leverage its human spaceflight experience to make the program successful.
"Boeing has a lot to offer NASA in this new field of commercial crew transportation services," Keith Reiley, then the Boeing program manager for the project, said at the time. "To show our commitment, we are willing to make a substantial investment in research and development."
This was a consequential moment for the new program, which lacked widespread support from Congress. The commercial initiative had only been created because the Obama administration tucked $50 million into its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for a new program start.