Boeing explores sale of parts of its space business: Report

Boeing is reportedly considering selling portions of its space operations, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which has long been a key contractor for NASA, may divest areas of its space business, including the troubled Starliner spacecraft and divisions supporting the International Space Station (ISS). The sale would exclude Boeing’s Space Launch System unit, which remains integral to NASA’s mission, WSJ added.

The Starliner project, Boeing’s high-profile bid to deliver astronauts to the ISS, has encountered persistent issues, with delays and technical setbacks leading to over $1.8 billion in cost overruns. Boeing's Starliner has yet to fulfill its planned manned mission to the ISS, and two astronauts currently stationed on the ISS, who were transported by Boeing, are now slated to return in February aboard a craft from SpaceX, one of Boeing’s competitors.

The company has been a significant player in the ISS program, manufacturing and maintaining modules that have supported the station for decades. The ISS itself is expected to retire by 2030, with NASA shifting its focus to private space station development as a future alternative, the report added.

Alongside these challenges, Boeing’s civil aviation division faces ongoing turbulence, including a five-week strike by 33,000 workers that has temporarily halted production of its popular 737 MAX and several wide-body aircraft models, including the 767 and 777. Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, who recently took the helm, has said that the need to streamline operations and stabilize the company amid these challenges. “Doing less and doing it better,” Ortberg said on a recent quarterly call with analysts, although he did not mention Boeing’s space division specifically.