On Wednesday, Elon Musk commented that Boeing (NYSE:BA) is “on a much better track with the new CEO,” because the previous head of the aviation behemoth did not have knowledge about how an airplane or rocket works.
Musk made the remarks on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after acquiring it as part of discussions on the subject of engineering talent in the United States. Musk is the founder and chief executive officer of the commercial space company SpaceX. He is also the CEO of an electric vehicle company Tesla (TSLA).
Kelly Ortberg, an aerospace veteran, has now taken the position of CEO at Boeing (BA) this year replacing Dave Calhoun who was the CEO before. Previously, he was the chief of Rockwell Collins, a supplier.
This transformation in management winds up after Boeing (BA) found itself in trouble again over safety. Back in January, a door panel blew out from a Boeing (BA) 737 Max 9 jetliner when taking off from Portland International Airport. Fortunately, none of the 177 passengers and crew members escaped without serious injuries, but this has raised questions about Boeing’s (BA) safety practices after the two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in 2018 and 2019.
Musk dubbed NASA’s Artemis missions to return humans to the moon as “incredibly ineffective.” The spaceflights depend upon the space agency’s Space Launch System rocket which employs Boeing (BA) as the prime contractor.
“Artemis is not a program whose goal is to achieve maximum results, but rather it is a program that provides maximum jobs,” Musk wrote. “It’s going to take something completely different.”
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is collaborating with SpaceX to supplement several Artemis missions, such as the Starship Human Landing System system, for transporting humans to the surface of the moon.
