Boeing Starliner has completed its lonely return to Earth

2 months ago 36

Boeing’s malfunctioning spacecraft completes its ngo without the astronauts it took to space.

By Wes Davis, a play exertion who covers the latest successful tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and much arsenic a tech writer since 2020.

Sep 7, 2024, 2:51 PM UTC

A representation of Starliner taken arsenic it dilatory floats distant from the International Space Station conscionable aft undocking.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully completed its uncrewed formation backmost to Earth, NASA announced overnight. The instrumentality ended the Starliner’s astir caller formation test months aboriginal than intended and leaves its archetypal crew, NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, aboard the International Space Station until adjacent year.

The Starliner touched down right connected time astatine 12:01 AM ET astatine White Sands Space Harbor successful New Mexico, according to NASA. Officials astatine the bureau hailed its palmy descent:

“I americium highly arrogant of the enactment our corporate squad enactment into this full formation test, and we are pleased to spot Starliner’s harmless return,” said Ken Bowersox, subordinate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate astatine NASA Headquarters successful Washington. “Even though it was indispensable to instrumentality the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount astir Starliner successful the astir utmost situation possible.”

“This was an important trial formation for NASA successful mounting america up for aboriginal missions connected the Starliner system,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program said successful NASA’s release.

The Starliner primitively launched despite helium leaks that NASA recovered to beryllium wrong acceptible limits. NASA past delayed the instrumentality flight aft uncovering much leaks and issues with Starliner’s absorption power thrusters. Astronauts Wilmore and Williams are expected to return aboard a SpaceX dragon capsule erstwhile NASA’s Crew-9 ngo ends successful aboriginal 2025.