The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft, developed by Boeing, successfully landed in New Mexico just after midnight Eastern time, completing a significant test flight that posed challenges for NASA.
Before the landing, officials at NASA expressed concerns about potential malfunctions in Starliner’s thrusters during re-entry, particularly as some had already malfunctioned on the trip to the International Space Station. Consequently, NASA decided to keep the astronauts aboard the ISS for their safety, a decision that program manager Steve Stich described as difficult but necessary.
Following the successful parachute landing, Stich reported that the spacecraft performed well during its return journey, stating, “It was a bullseye landing” and expressing relief at the spacecraft’s safe arrival. When asked about any regrets regarding the decision not to bring the astronauts back, Stich acknowledged the difficulty of hindsight but maintained that the right choice was made, even though there was a desire to adhere to the original plan of flying the crew home.
Starliner launched on June 5 with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, initially planned to be an eight-day mission, but it extended for several weeks as Boeing and NASA investigated thruster failures that occurred during the approach to the ISS. The astronauts will remain on the ISS until February and have been engaged in various tasks and training during their extended stay.
They are set to return to Earth on a SpaceX flight, as NASA modified its schedule to accommodate two seats in the SpaceX capsule. Moreover, in case of an emergency requiring evacuation before the SpaceX capsule arrives, the team arranged for two additional seats in a different SpaceX spacecraft currently docked at the ISS.
This situation has been a setback for Boeing, which has faced difficulties with Starliner on previous uncrewed flights, while SpaceX has successfully operated its crew transport vehicle for years with less initial funding from NASA. NASA’s commercial crew program aims to shift the responsibility of transporting astronauts and cargo to private companies, allowing the agency to focus on future lunar missions and beyond.
Following the landing, Boeing and NASA plan to conduct further analysis of the thrusters to determine if modifications are needed to prevent overheating issues. Mission managers evaluated the thrusters after Starliner undocked from the ISS and before its safe landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, with Stich emphasizing that overall, the flight was a success and the spacecraft is reliable.