Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which has faced a series of setbacks since its launch, is scheduled to make a return trip to Earth tonight — but without the two astronauts it carried to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year. The mission, originally planned for just eight days, has now stretched into more than three months, highlighting the challenges faced by Boeing’s Starliner program.
The Starliner, which has been docked at the ISS, is set to undock later this evening. However, astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams will remain onboard the ISS instead of returning on the spacecraft as initially planned. NASA officials cited a series of technical issues as the reason for this decision, including helium leaks and problems with the control thrusters that emerged during the journey to the space station. After several discussions with Boeing, NASA determined that bringing the astronauts back on the Starliner would be too risky at this time.
The new plan is for Willmore and Williams to extend their mission to an eight-month stay aboard the ISS, with a return scheduled for February 2024. Their journey home will be on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, set to launch later this month.
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Boeing’s Starliner is expected to begin its solo return tonight at around 6 PM ET, using a different re-entry maneuver than it would have if the astronauts were on board. The spacecraft is slated to land in New Mexico just after midnight, assuming there are no further issues.
This unexpected extension and the decision to use a competitor’s spacecraft for the return of the astronauts underscore the challenges Boeing faces in its efforts to develop a reliable spacecraft for NASA’s commercial crew program. The space community will be watching closely to see if tonight’s landing proceeds as planned or if additional hurdles emerge.