Plagued by technical troubles, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft landed without crew at White Sands Space Harbour in New Mexico late Friday, wrapping up a challenging three-month test mission. This mission was marred by issues that forced the astronauts onboard to stay at the International Space Station (ISS) until next year.
The spacecraft departed from the ISS earlier on Friday and headed back to Earth without its astronauts, as NASA deemed the risks too high.
Boeing’s reputation, built over a century, has suffered significantly due to thruster problems and helium leaks experienced on the spacecraft’s journey to the ISS in June. NASA has decided that the crew will return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle next year instead.
“It’s time to bring Calypso home,” said astronaut Suni Williams, referring to the spacecraft by its nickname. “We’re rooting for you. Bring it back safely.”
The Starliner made a successful landing, as shown in a NASA livestream, completing the critical final stages of its mission without issues. The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at around 27,400 km/h and, about 45 minutes later, deployed parachutes and airbags before touching down in the New Mexico desert.
Despite Boeing’s assurances of a safe return, NASA decided to bring the spacecraft back without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Williams. Boeing conducted extensive ground tests to address previous issues and prevent further problems, but NASA remained unconvinced about the spacecraft’s reliability.
Wilmore and Williams, who were initially set to spend about a week on the ISS for testing, will now stay until February 2025. They are stocked with extra supplies and will return to Earth on a SpaceX vehicle in February, turning what was meant to be an eight-day mission into an eight-month one.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, noted that Boeing’s predictive models for thruster performance could not alleviate NASA’s concerns. “The team was tense due to the uncertainties in the modeling,” Stich said.
After undocking, the Starliner performed a “breakout burn” to ensure it stayed clear of the ISS, a maneuver that would have been unnecessary if the spacecraft had been crewed. The mission team then carefully prepared for the critical “deorbit burn” to guide the spacecraft for re-entry.
While the spacecraft’s landing was expected to be successful, NASA will now thoroughly review the mission to determine the next steps. “Our focus is on completing the current tasks,” Stich explained. “Once we do that, we’ll have a clearer understanding of when we can certify the vehicle and resume flights.”
A decade ago, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX multibillion-dollar contracts to develop spacecraft for ISS missions following the retirement of the Space Shuttle. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has already flown dozens of astronauts since 2020, while Boeing is still working to resolve its issues.