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 an unexpectedly extended three-month flight test, landing safely in New Mexico.
The mission was prolonged due to helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, requiring the two astronauts initially aboard to remain on the ISS for a return via SpaceX Dragon in February.
NASA views the test as a valuable learning experience for Starliner's certification for future crewed missions, despite the operational challenges and the spacecraft's uncrewed return.

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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.