and when it gets back to earth, it'll be with a bump in what's going to be the first hard capsule landing for a us mission. along with space x, they'll now be two private sector firms taking astronauts to the space station. if boeing's test flight goes well. having competition with two providers, providing nasa with a way to and from the space station should bring down costs. and that's really important for nasa and other space agencies like the european space agency and indeed the uk space agency, because we're spending taxpayers money on these flights to get our astronauts to the space station and we want to get the best value for money. but regular missions to the space station will depend on there being no further serious technical issues. with so much at stake, it'll be a big week for boeing. pallab ghosh, bbc news.

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