Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has successfully returned home following a challenging summer. The capsule undocked from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. ET on Friday, making a six-hour journey back to Earth and landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. ET.
NASA’s footage captured the capsule gliding through the night sky before deploying two sets of parachutes to slow its descent, followed by six landing airbags to soften the touchdown.
For Boeing, the return of Starliner was a mix of relief and regret. The smooth flight back indicated that the two NASA astronauts aboard, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, could have returned safely on the spacecraft. However, concerns over Starliner’s thruster malfunctions and helium leaks detected shortly after launch prompted NASA officials to opt for SpaceX to handle the astronauts’ return flight.
“This was a test mission,” stated Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for space operations, during a press conference after the landing.
Starliner first launched with Wilmore and Williams in June for its inaugural crewed test flight, expected to last about eight days. However, it remained docked at the space station for several months as engineers worked to devise a safe return plan.
After conducting tests and analysis, NASA concluded that while the capsule’s propulsion system seemed stable, the thruster problems presented too great a risk for a crewed return. Consequently, Wilmore and Williams will stay aboard the space station until February, when they will return on a SpaceX capsule.
During the Starliner’s departure, which occurred while the space station was over central China, Williams communicated to mission controllers, encouraging them: “We have your backs, and you’ve got this. Bring her back to Earth. Good luck.”
The return of Starliner signals the conclusion of a tumultuous few months for Boeing and NASA. The test flight aimed to prove that the spacecraft could reliably transport astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit, a critical requirement for certifying Boeing for regular trips to the space station.
However, the thruster issues add to the ongoing challenges facing Boeing’s Starliner program, which has already exceeded its budget by more than $1.5 billion and is several years behind schedule. Additionally, an uncrewed test flight required by NASA before crewed flights also encountered difficulties and had to be redone in 2022.