After a challenging summer, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has returned safely to Earth. The capsule undocked from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. ET on Friday without any astronauts on board and spent approximately six hours making its way back. Starliner touched down at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. ET.
NASA’s footage captured the Starliner streaking through the night sky before its parachutes deployed to slow its descent. Additionally, six landing airbags were activated to help cushion the landing.
For Boeing, this successful return of the Starliner carries mixed emotions. The smooth re-entry indicates that the two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, could have returned home safely on the capsule. However, issues with the Starliner’s thrusters and a helium leak, discovered soon after launch, led NASA officials to opt for a SpaceX mission for their return home.
“This was a test mission,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for space operations, during a news conference shortly after the Starliner’s landing.
The Starliner had launched the astronauts to the space station in early June as part of its first crewed test flight, which was expected to last around eight days. However, it remained docked at the space station for several months while engineers evaluated how to safely bring it back.
Following extensive testing, NASA found the propulsion system stable but concluded that the thruster issues presented too great a risk for a crewed return. As a result, Wilmore and Williams will stay on the space station until the new year before returning in February aboard a SpaceX capsule.
The astronauts assisted with Starliner’s undocking as the space station flew approximately 260 miles above central China. “We have your backs, and you’ve got this,” Williams communicated to NASA mission controllers. “Bring her back to Earth. Good luck.”
This return journey is significant as it concludes a turbulent period for Boeing and NASA. The test flight was intended to validate the Starliner’s capability to transport astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit, a necessary step for NASA to certify Boeing for routine missions to the space station.
The thruster issues, however, add to the challenges facing Boeing’s Starliner program, which has been over budget by more than $1.5 billion and years behind schedule. An earlier uncrewed test flight required by NASA also faced problems, necessitating a repeat in 2022.