Boeing Starliner capsule safely lands on Earth with no crew aboard

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth, landing in New Mexico just after midnight Eastern time, marking the conclusion of a challenging test flight for both Boeing and NASA.

The mission proved to be a source of tension for NASA officials, who were concerned about the spacecraft’s thrusters. Some had malfunctioned during its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), raising concerns that they might fail again during the return journey.

Once it is safely back on Earth, NASA and Boeing will analyze the performance of its thrusters in detail.

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Due to these concerns, Starliner carried only cargo back to Earth, with its crew remaining safely on board the ISS. “Leaving them there was a tough decision to make. It was really hard to determine whether to be uncrewed or not,” Steve Stich, the program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said earlier in the week.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams likely to return in February 2025

Starliner had launched on June 5 with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams aboard. Originally, NASA and Boeing expected the test flight to last about eight days, but the mission was extended as engineers worked to identify and address the thruster issues that arose when the spacecraft neared the ISS.

With the decision to bring Starliner back without its crew, Wilmore and Williams are now expected to remain on the ISS until February. Dana Weigel, NASA’s program manager for the ISS, assured that the astronauts were well-prepared for an extended stay, explaining, “Since we knew this was a test flight, with intention we put them through long-duration space station training.”

“We had them well prepared to move into this role.”

The astronauts will eventually return home on a previously scheduled SpaceX flight.

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The agency had to rearrange plans to ensure that there would be two seats available for the Starliner crew on the SpaceX capsule. Plus, in case of an emergency requiring evacuation before the capsule arrives, the crew has had to improvise and add two extra seats to another SpaceX spacecraft that is currently docked at the ISS.

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