Boeing Starliner Set For Uncrewed Return Flight This Week

Matthew Broersma,
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Boeing's Starliner approaches the International Space Station on an unmanned mission on 20 May, 2022. Image credit: Boeing

Troubled Starliner capsule set for remotely guided return to Earth after propulsion issues detected in June crewed launch

Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule is set to undock from the International Space Station later this week after 12 weeks in space, as NASA prepares to return the vessel to Earth without its passengers.

Starliner is to undock at around 6 p.m. ET on Friday, 6 September (2 a.m. BST, 7 September) and will manoeuvre for about six hours before landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, NASA said.

Ground teams in Houston and Florida are to remotely guide the spacecraft through undocking, re-entry and parachute-assisted landing, while astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who travelled to space in the vessel on 5 June, remain in the ISS.

Starliner has successfully completed uncrewed re-entry and landing in two previous test-flights.

Astronauts in Starliner capsule. Image credit: Boeing
Image credit: Boeing

Uncrewed return

“The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft will perform a fully autonomous return with flight controllers at Starliner Mission Control in Houston and at Boeing Mission Control Center in Florida,” NASA stated.

“Teams on the ground are able to remotely command the spacecraft if needed through the necessary maneuvers for a safe undocking, re-entry, and parachute-assisted landing in the southwest United States.”

After issues were detected in Starliner’s propulsion system during its June crewed launch, NASA carried out a review to determine whether the vessel was safe enough to return the astronauts to Earth.

Last month the agency said it had decided the astronauts would return instead in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule early next year.

Boeing maintained throughout the investigation that Starliner was fit for purpose.

‘Safety’

The company said in a statement last month that it “continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”

Following the vessel’s return NASA will have to decide whether to certify it for routine crewed flights.

The June flight was intended as a validation step for Starliner, which has already generated $1.5 billion (£1.14bn) in losses for Boeing.

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