NASA announced that Boeing’s Starliner capsule will depart the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Friday, September 6, pending favorable weather and the absence of technical issues. The spacecraft, which faced challenges during its mission, will undock at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT) and is expected to land six hours later at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, under parachutes.
The Starliner launched on June 5 on its first-ever crewed mission, known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT), carrying NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS. While the capsule successfully docked a day later, the mission encountered problems, including helium leaks and the failure of five of its 28 reaction control system thrusters.
Originally planned for a 10-day mission, Starliner’s stay was extended as NASA and Boeing investigated the thruster issues to determine their cause and assess the risks for the capsule’s return journey. Ultimately, NASA deemed it too risky to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth on Starliner. Instead, the astronauts will return on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2024, following the Crew-9 mission’s arrival at the ISS.
The Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed, performing a fully autonomous re-entry with flight controllers in Houston and at Boeing’s Mission Control Center in Florida overseeing the operation. NASA officials emphasized that ground teams can remotely command the spacecraft if necessary to ensure a safe undocking, re-entry, and landing.
This will be Starliner’s third autonomous return, following previous uncrewed test flights in December 2019 and May 2022. While the capsule failed to reach the ISS on its first mission, it successfully completed the second.
Key Points
Return Date: Boeing’s Starliner capsule is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than September 6, pending weather and technical conditions.
Undocking and Landing: The capsule will undock at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT) on September 6 and is expected to land six hours later at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, using parachutes.
Mission Background: Starliner launched on June 5 for its first crewed mission, carrying NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. It docked with the ISS a day later but encountered issues including helium leaks and thruster failures.
Mission Extension: The mission, initially planned for about 10 days, was extended as NASA and Boeing investigated the thruster problems. The decision was made to not return the astronauts on Starliner due to safety concerns.
Alternative Return Plan: Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2024, following the Crew-9 mission.
Uncrewed Return: The Starliner will perform a fully autonomous return, with remote oversight from flight controllers in Houston and Boeing’s Mission Control Center in Florida.
Previous Flights: This will be Starliner’s third autonomous return, following test flights in December 2019 and May 2022, with the second mission successfully reaching the ISS.
