NASA Set to Bring Starliner Back, But Will Leave Crew in Space as Boeing Drama Gets Even Worse
NASA has announced that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is set to return to Earth without a crew on September 6, following its troubled missions and delays. Originally designed to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), the Starliner faced significant challenges, including helium leaks during its first flight, which raised concerns over safety and operational readiness.
The spacecraft will undock from the ISS around 6 p.m. ET and is expected to land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico about six hours later. NASA has confirmed that the Starliner has successfully completed an autonomous landing during previous tests, and ground teams will be able to remotely control the spacecraft throughout its re-entry.
Meanwhile, astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were initially meant to return with the Starliner, will remain in space until February 2025. They will be brought back on a SpaceX flight instead. Wilmore and Williams’s extended stay is attributed to the inability of the Starliner to accommodate all returning personnel due to ongoing technical issues.
The situation has raised questions about the future of Boeing’s space operations, especially considering the significant cost overruns associated with the project. There are speculations about potential cancellations of the Starliner program as Boeing’s new CEO may have to evaluate its viability amidst its ongoing challenges.
NASA has announced the date when Boeing’s troubled Starliner will return to Earth.
The vehicle was designed to ferry crews to the International Space Station and back, but it has not lived up to its billing. Helium leaks that took place on its inaugural flight led to weeks of uncertainty over what would happen to the vehicle and the crew it took into space in June.
On Thursday, NASA announced that, “pending weather and operational readiness,” the Starliner will undock from the International Space Station at about 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 6, according to USA Today.
The expected six-hour flight time would have the Starliner land early on Sept. 7 at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
🧑🚀👨🚀🔭 After 12 weeks in space, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is finally set to return home from the International Space Station on September 6 — albeit without its two-person crew. #boeing #starliner #NASA CNN x Yahoo! News https://t.co/obHawtwstC
— eric (@kinolina) August 30, 2024
The vehicle will return without anyone aboard. NASA said the Starliner completed an autonomous landing during an earlier test.
“Teams on the ground are able to remotely command the spacecraft if needed through the necessary maneuvers for a safe undocking, re-entry, and parachute-assisted landing in the southwest United States,” the agency said.
On Aug. 24, NASA announced that instead of returning to Earth on the Starliner, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams will park in space until next year, according to the Associated Press.
Wilmore and Williams arrived on the space station in June on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. However, grave technical issues that marred their flight led to them remaining on board the ISS.
NASA announced that they will return in February on a SpaceX flight because no sooner flight from the space station to Earth could accommodate two more people.
“All of us really wanted to complete the [Boeing Starliner] test flight with crew, and I think unanimously we’re disappointed not to be able to do that,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, according to CNN.
But “you don’t want that disappointment to weigh unhealthily in your decision,” he said.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, said talks between NASA and Boeing over putting the astronauts on the Starliner for their return “came down to a little disagreement about risk,” according to the New York Post.
Boeing has racked up about $1.5 billion in cost overruns on the $4.5 billion contract to develop the Starliner.
That means the project could face a harsh decision about its future, according to Bloomberg, which noted new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg could decide the venture should be ended.
“Do they ultimately exit the program because it’s too complicated and because the other guy can do it better? It can happen,” said Robert Spingarn, an analyst with Melius Research.
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