In 2010, NASA began the Commercial Crew program to encourage private companies to develop spacecraft to carry astronauts into space after the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. Two companies were ultimately chosen in 2014: SpaceX, with Dragon, and Boeing, with the CST-100 Starliner.
The space agency aimed to have both companies operating at once, but while SpaceX has launched 50 astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians into orbit in 13 piloted Crew Dragon flights since May 2020, Boeing has been constantly facing multiple technical problems. And yet, 7 years behind schedule, Boeing’s Starliner is about to make its first crewed flight.
More info: NASA
