After a challenging summer, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has successfully returned home.
The capsule detached from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. ET on Friday, making its way back to Earth over a six-hour span. It landed at New Mexico’s White Sands Space Harbor at 12:01 a.m. ET.
NASA released footage showing the capsule descending through the night sky, deploying two sets of parachutes to slow its descent. Additionally, six landing airbags were activated to soften the landing impact.
For Boeing, the successful return of Starliner likely brought mixed emotions. The mission suggests that the two NASA astronauts who were onboard during the spacecraft’s journey to the space station could have returned safely as well. However, issues with Starliner’s thrusters and a helium leak were detected shortly after launch, prompting NASA leaders to opt for SpaceX to handle the return flight instead.
Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for space operations, emphasized the significance of the mission being a test during a news conference following the landing.
Starliner initially launched NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on its first crewed test flight in early June, planned to last roughly eight days. However, the spacecraft remained at the space station for several months while engineers evaluated the best method for its safe return.
After extensive testing and evaluation, NASA found that although the propulsion system appeared stable, the thruster malfunctions posed significant risks for a crewed return. Wilmore and Williams are set to stay on the space station until February, when they will return aboard a SpaceX capsule.
The astronauts were present to assist with Starliner’s departure, which occurred while the station was 260 miles above central China. Williams communicated encouragement to mission control, wishing them luck.
The return of Starliner marks a critical moment for both Boeing and NASA following a turbulent few months. The test flight was intended to demonstrate the spacecraft’s capability to transport astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit, paving the way for NASA’s certification of Boeing for regular trips to the space station.
However, the thruster issues represent another significant challenge for Boeing’s Starliner program, which was already over budget by $1.5 billion and several years behind schedule prior to this launch. An uncrewed test flight, also mandated by NASA, encountered problems during its initial attempt prior to being successfully repeated in 2022.