Boeing opened a new factory at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, where work is underway to build a replacement for the space shuttle.The replacement is called the Starliner, and it will eventually carry astronauts to the International Space Station.Watch the storyThe transformation of a former space shuttle hangar has been completed and finished off with a grand opening.It's the new home of the Boeing-built Starliner space ship, which is touted as one of the replacements for the space shuttle."I've got to admit, it was a little sad to see the space shuttle infrastructure come apart, but I always knew there was a brighter future," Boeing representative Chris Ferguson said.Ferguson commanded the final space shuttle mission four years ago. He now works for Boeing and is in charge of the Starliner."It's really beginning to come together," Ferguson said.In the bright, retooled hangar that was transformed with money from Florida taxpayers, Starliners will be built in an assembly-line fashion.A test version is currently under construction to make sure it can handle what's coming. The capsule will launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket.Since the last space shuttle mission, astronauts have been launched on Russian ships for about $75 million per seat."In 35 states, 350 American companies are working to make it possible for the greatest country on Earth to once again launch our own astronauts into space," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said."It's exciting to celebrate this new capsule, this new facility, and most important for Florida and Brevard County, the 550 more jobs," Gov. Rick Scott said.Boeing hopes to launch the Starliner in 2017, but NASA is already expecting a delay and is buying seats on Russian spaceships for 2018.