Boeing’s Starliner returns to Earth without NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, watch video

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth, making a safe landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Saturday morning. The decision to return the spacecraft without a crew was made by NASA and Boeing with consideration for the safety of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Originally scheduled to last 10 days, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft's maiden human test journey to the International Space Station (ISS) was prolonged by engineers upon discovering leaks of helium and other problems. 

Now, in February 2025, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will make their way back on a SpaceX capsule. Prior to this, mission managers completed all operational and meteorological checks, and on Friday at 6:04 p.m. EDT (3:34 a.m. IST, Saturday, September 7), the spacecraft undocked from the space station as planned. It took around six hours for it to land.

September 7, 2024

September 6, 2024

The spacecraft's successful landing was essential to Boeing's ambitions to conduct commercial space missions in the future.    

The Starliner spacecraft experienced a four-and-a-half-minute blackout spell during its descent, during which time ground controllers were unable to communicate with the craft. But for spacecraft coming back from orbit, this was just another day at work. When a spacecraft hits the Earth's atmosphere while still moving at a speed far beyond the speed of sound, the pressure and friction create intense heat. This produces a build-up of plasma that can momentarily disable communication devices.

The propulsion system issues in the capsule caused the eight-day test to extend into an eight-month mission, which the NASA astronauts had to say goodbye to. Instead, Wilmore and Williams will return in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX vehicle, fully stocked with food and supplies.