Analysis – Astronaut situation puts pressure on Boeing’s struggling space unit

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA's decision to send Boeing's Starliner capsule home without any astronauts follows years of missteps by the planemaker in its space sector and raises doubts about the unit's future, analysts and industry sources said.

Carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) would have been a turning point for Starliner after years of delays, technical glitches and supply chain missteps. Starliner has cost Boeing $1.6 billion in overruns since 2016, according to a Reuters analysis of securities filings.

The astronauts were supposed to stay on the ISS for ...