Elon Musk on Tuesday made yet another jibe at Boeing Co. after NASA chose his rocket manufacturing company SpaceX to bring back the astronauts who went to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
What Happened: “Potential Tesla/SpaceX collab: ride-hailing works even if you're in space!,” Musk wrote on social media platform X, joining an X user who laughed at how SpaceX beat Tesla to market with “ride-hailing services.”
SpaceX’s Step Into “Ride Hail”: NASA announced on Saturday that it would return the two astronauts who went to space via Boeing's Starliner spacecraft – Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore – via a SpaceX vehicle in February. The Starliner spacecraft would return to Earth autonomously in early September, the agency said, citing its commitment to safety.
Williams and Wilmore launched into space on June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Though the two were supposed to return in about eight days, technical issues identified with the spacecraft while docking delayed the return journey, and now the agency has decided to scrap bringing the astronauts back on the Boeing spacecraft altogether.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Dreams: Musk’s Tesla is looking to enter the ride-hail business after enabling autonomous driving and unveiling its dedicated robotaxi product on October 10. The company has not provided a clear timeline for the commencement of the business.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk expects his company's robotaxi fleet to function like a combination of Airbnb and Uber. While a certain portion of the fleet will be owned by Tesla, individual customers can also add or subtract their vehicles to the robotaxi fleet at will. As for riders, they can summon a car using the Tesla App, Musk said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call last month.
Musk Is Optimistic For Boeing Still: Following NASA’s decision to opt for SpaceX to return Williams and Wilmore, Musk on Sunday said that aircraft companies will not dominate the space industry, similar to how car makers cannot dominate the aircraft business.
However, Musk on Saturday also expressed optimism for the future of Boeing despite the setback in the space segment.
“The new Boeing CEO is spending time in the factories. That is the right thing to do,” Musk said. The new Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg, took the reins of the company from Dave Calhoun earlier this month.
Boeing's hardship is not limited to the space segment. The company has been under intense regulatory scrutiny after a door plug panel flew off an Alaska Airlines plane manufactured by Boeing soon after take off in January.
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