On Saturday, August 24, NASA announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth next February with SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. NASA stated that Starliner's astronaut crew will return uncrewed. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed this update, explaining that the return plan involves having Butch and Sunita come back with Crew-9 while Starliner will not be used for their return.
The announcement comes as Williams and Wilmore approach the 80-day mark of what was initially an eight-day mission. They launched aboard Starliner on June 5 but had their mission extended by over two months due to technical issues with the spacecraft, including helium leaks and thruster problems.
An internal Test Flight Readiness Review was conducted by NASA’s leadership team on August 24, focusing on the spacecraft's propulsion and helium systems. The review aimed to address technical challenges and review mission status, technical data, and flight rationale for undocking and return.
Starliner launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida atop a ULA Atlas V rocket. The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which also includes SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. Since 2020, SpaceX has conducted nine crewed missions for NASA, while Boeing's Starliner is currently on its first crewed mission, marking the start of at least six planned flights under NASA's multibillion-dollar contract with Boeing.
