Boeing’s Starliner Returns To Earth, Without Crew

Matthew Broersma,
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Starliner space capsule after return to Earth in September 2024. Image credit: NASA

Boeing’s Starliner returns to Earth under command of ground crew as astronauts from June mission remain in space, in latest blow to project

Boeing’s Starliner returned to Earth late on Friday, but without its human crew, who remained on the International Space Station.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew in Starliner’s first crewed mission in June to arrive at the space station, remained in orbit as the vessel undocked at 6:04 p.m. ET on Friday.

After a six-hour flight Starliner landed at the White Sands Space Harbour in an arid, desert area of New Mexico after using parachutes to slow its descent, a NASA live stream showed.

Ground teams in Houston and Florida  remotely guided the spacecraft through undocking, re-entry and parachute-assisted landing. Starliner has successfully completed uncrewed re-entry and landing in two previous test-flights.

Starliner docked with International Space Station. Image credit: NASA
Image credit: NASA

Safety questions

The June mission was intended to certify Starliner for regular crewed flights, but questions were raised over irregularities in its propulsion system.

The issues included helium leaks in the propulsion system and several of Starliner’s thrusters shutting down.

Engineers were unable to resolve the issues to their satisfaction and decided Wilmore and Williams should return to Earth aboard a SpaceX flight in February 2025.

As such their trip into orbit, originally intended as an eight-day test flight, will turn into an eight-month mission.

The long-delayed Starliner project has already generated $1.5 billion (£1.14bn) in losses for Boeing and on 1 August the company added a further $125m to that total.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has been certified for crewed flights for about four years and has flown about a dozen crewed trips into orbit.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are to remain aboard the International Space Station until February 2025. Image credit: NASA

Crew Dragon

NASA said it has delayed a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission originally planned for 18 August to no earlier than 24 September.

That SpaceX mission, known as Crew-9, will now be used to ferry Williams and Wilmore back to Earth next year.

Crew Dragon missions usually carry four astronauts, but two of those seats would be left vacant.

Williams and Wilmore are now planned to join the two Crew-9 astronauts for their previously scheduled six-month stay aboard the ISS, returning with them in February 2025.

In August NASA used a SpaceX rocket to deliver more food and supplies to the ISS, including extra clothes for Wilmore and Williams.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA
Image credit: NASA