The Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully completed its uncrewed return flight to Earth, NASA announced overnight. The return marked the conclusion of the Starliner’s latest flight test, which ended several months later than originally planned. As a result, NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were supposed to return aboard the Starliner, will remain on the International Space Station until next year.
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The Starliner touched down precisely at 12:01 AM ET at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, according to NASA. Officials praised the smooth and timely descent of the spacecraft:
“I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington. “Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible.”
Touchdown, #Starliner! The uncrewed spacecraft landed at New Mexico's White Sands Space Harbor at 12:01 am ET (0401 UTC) on Saturday, Sept. 7. pic.twitter.com/Q5lITEzATn
— NASA (@NASA) September 7, 2024
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, echoed the sentiment in NASA’s release, stating, “This was an important test flight for NASA in preparing us for future missions on the Starliner system.”
The Starliner’s mission was initially launched despite the detection of helium leaks, which NASA deemed to be within acceptable limits. However, NASA later postponed the spacecraft’s return flight after identifying additional leaks and issues with Starliner’s reaction control thrusters. These delays pushed back the return of Wilmore and Williams, who are now scheduled to come back aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule as part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, set to conclude in early 2025.
The successful uncrewed return of the Starliner marks a critical step in NASA and Boeing’s development of the spacecraft, as they continue refining the system for future crewed missions.
