Boeing Starliner Returns Home Safely

The mission to return the spacecraft to Earth concludes a flight test to the International Space Station that was unexpectedly extended to three months.

Monday, September 09, 2024 at 04:52 PM ET

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The two astronauts aboard the Starliner, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, will remain at the ISS until their return via the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft next February. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

The uncrewed Boeing Starliner successfully returned to Earth after its three-month-extended test flight to the ISS, caused by earlier helium leaks and thruster malfunctions.
Due to these technical issues, the two astronauts who flew to the ISS on Starliner will return to Earth in February aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
NASA views the mission as a valuable learning experience, despite the uncrewed return, and will now analyze all data to work towards certifying Starliner for future crew rotation flights.
While the return was largely successful, some minor thruster and navigation system anomalies were noted during the deorbit and entry phases that require further investigation.

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The uncrewed Boeing Starliner safely returned to Earth on Friday night, landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. EST the following morning.

The mission to return the spacecraft to Earth concludes a flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) that was unexpectedly extended to three months after Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions on June 6.

Caleb Revill

Caleb Revill is a journalist, writer and lifelong learner working as a Junior Writer for Firecrown. When he isn't tackling breaking news, Caleb is on the lookout for fascinating feature stories.