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The Boeing Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth uncrewed on September 7 due to faulty thrusters and helium leaks.
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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will stay on the International Space Station and return next year in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
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The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft will perform a fully autonomous return, with teams on the ground able to remotely command it if needed.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is set to return to Earth uncrewed on September 7, after experiencing issues with faulty thrusters and helium leaks. NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who went to space in the Starliner in June, will stay on the International Space Station and return next year in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
The Starliner spacecraft will undock from the International Space Station on September 6 and land in the southwest United States under parachutes and inflated airbags. The spacecraft will be recovered and prepared for a return to Boeing’s Starliner factory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson stated that the decision to bring the Starliner home uncrewed was a result of a commitment to safety, citing the risks of spaceflight. The Starliner mission was originally intended to last eight days, but the spacecraft’s return was delayed due to propulsion system issues.
