Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth after months at the International Space Station (ISS), but without the two astronauts it delivered to orbit in early June. Initially planned to remain in space for nine days, the test flight stretched to three months as Boeing and NASA faced issues with Starliner’s propulsion system.
NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were supposed to return to Earth aboard Starliner, will now remain on the ISS for the rest of the year and return in February via SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. The Starliner undocked from the ISS at 6:04 p.m. ET on Friday, with a mission that took about six hours to complete. It safely landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday.
The undocking process was altered slightly due to the lack of astronauts on board, as there was no crew to manually control the spacecraft if needed. NASA took extra precautions to protect the ISS during the procedure. “We have your backs, and you’ve got this,” astronaut Suni Williams told NASA mission controllers just before the undocking began.
This test flight, marked by numerous delays, faced additional setbacks as NASA postponed Starliner’s return several times to investigate propulsion system issues. Boeing stated that Starliner would have been safe for astronauts in an emergency situation, despite the technical problems. However, NASA eventually decided to send the spacecraft back without crew members in late August to further investigate the cause of the thruster malfunctions.
The Starliner test flight was a crucial step in Boeing’s progress within NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA had aimed to have two private companies, Boeing and SpaceX, capable of flying alternating missions to the ISS. However, the extended delays have pushed Boeing’s timeline back, and with over $1.5 billion in losses, the company’s future role in NASA’s program is uncertain.
The return of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, named “Calypso,” marks the end of a mission that, while not going as initially planned, gathered essential data for future missions. NASA and Boeing will continue their investigations to ensure that the spacecraft is fully ready for crewed flights in the future.
READ MORE: