Boeing’s Starliner Made the Uncrewed Trip Home

Boeing’s Starliner returned uncrewed to White Sands on September 7 after a nearly three-month mission, with its crew staying on the ISS until February 2025. The spacecraft’s future and certification are still uncertain.

NASA and Boeing successfully brought back the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft, which landed safely at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 7 at 12:01 a.m. ET, signaling the conclusion of its almost three-month space mission. The spacecraft returned with an empty cabin, as the two test pilots will remain on the ISS for another five to six months.

NASA and Boeing welcomed #Starliner back to Earth at 12:01am ET (0401 UTC) on Saturday, Sept. 7, following the uncrewed spacecraft's landing in New Mexico—concluding its flight test to the @Space_Station: https://t.co/rOrGmEZtgP pic.twitter.com/LUqnGfuDME

— NASA (@NASA) September 7, 2024

On September 6 at 6:04 p.m. ET, Starliner autonomously undocked from the ISS and began its return to Earth. The capsule spent about six hours in orbit before descending. Near midnight, it entered the reentry phase, requiring precise orientation as it traveled through Earth’s atmosphere at over 17,000 miles per hour. The extreme pressure and friction might have raised the spacecraft’s outer temperature to over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 1,649 degrees Celsius). Newly redesigned parachutes, tested in January, slowed the capsule before airbags deployed for a soft landing.

Starliner is the first US-made capsule to land on solid ground using parachutes instead of splashing into the ocean. Boeing hopes this method will simplify recovery and refurbishment.

The spacecraft landed just after midnight Eastern time at the White Sands Rocket Range, New Mexico, a site previously used to train NASA space shuttle pilots.

Starliner’s Troubled Crewed Mission

Boeing’s Starliner’s first crewed mission faced delays, beginning with a 2019 uncrewed test issue. Despite a successful 2022 uncrewed flight, further problems postponed the crewed launch from May 6, 2024, to June 5, 2024. On that date, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the first crew to fly aboard Starliner.

Success on this flight would have led to NASA certifying Starliner for regular missions, enabling Boeing to transport up to four astronauts for six-month stays on the ISS. However, as the spacecraft approached the ISS on June 6, helium leaks and thruster issues were detected. Additionally, five of Starliner’s 28 reaction control thrusters failed during the mission, with only four restored and at least one remaining inoperable.

NASA and Boeing extended Wilmore’s and Williams’s stay from the planned eight days to several months to address these issues. Due to uncertainty and safety concerns, NASA decided on an uncrewed return after weeks of testing and reviews. Wilmore and Williams will stay on the ISS as part of Expedition 71/72 and are scheduled to return in February 2025 on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission. Crew-9, initially set for four members, will now carry only two to accommodate them, with a revised launch scheduled for September 24.

Boeing’s Role in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Under Scrutiny

With Starliner now back on the ground, it will be dispatched to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for evaluation and processing. A crewed test flight is required for certification under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Although the return was successful, NASA and Boeing will assess whether design changes or another test flight are necessary.

In a news briefing, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich, noted that future plans and timelines for Starliner remain uncertain.

Ultimately, Elon Musk’s company is likely to gain prominence due to Boeing’s setback, and Boeing’s involvement in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program will face increased scrutiny due to its $1.5 billion in losses. The objective of having two competing companies for ISS missions has also been compromised.