Boeing’s Starliner Mission Ends with Empty Landing and Astronauts Left in Space
Boeing’s Starliner mission ended quietly Friday night, with the capsule landing empty at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range. The mission, Boeing’s first astronaut flight, saw its spacecraft return without test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who remain aboard the International Space Station until next year. NASA deemed their return too risky due to persistent thruster failures and helium leaks, deciding instead to book a safer flight with SpaceX.
Starliner’s journey from launch to landing has been anything but smooth. The capsule’s June launch marked Boeing’s long-awaited crew debut, but it quickly became clear this mission would be a challenge. Early in the flight, thruster failures and helium leaks raised concerns, putting the safe return of the astronauts into question. Although Boeing argued that Starliner was ready for the crew’s return, NASA disagreed, ultimately making the call to keep Wilmore and Williams in orbit longer.
The Starliner capsule, descending through the desert darkness on autopilot, landed just as planned—though without its crew. Cameras captured the spacecraft as it appeared as a white streak in the night sky, touching down softly amid cheers from Boeing’s Mission Control. Despite some hiccups during reentry, including additional thruster issues, the landing was deemed a “bull’s-eye” by NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich. However, even with the safe landing, Stich acknowledged NASA made the right decision by keeping the astronauts off the capsule, noting, “We wish it would have gone as originally planned.”
NASA’s decision to choose SpaceX over Boeing for the astronauts’ return flight reflects ongoing challenges for Boeing’s Starliner program, which has faced years of delays and technical issues. After NASA retired its space shuttles, it sought partnerships with Boeing and SpaceX to provide astronaut transport to and from the ISS. Boeing’s early test flights revealed multiple flaws, forcing the company to repeat tests and amass a repair bill exceeding £800 million. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has successfully carried out nine crewed missions for NASA since 2020 and is set for its 10th later this month.
Wilmore and Williams were initially scheduled to return by mid-June, just a week after their arrival at the ISS. Instead, the pair have remained active aboard the station, contributing to repairs and experiments. As seasoned astronauts, both were prepared for setbacks, yet their extended stay underscores the complex and sometimes unpredictable nature of space travel.
Boeing’s team spent the summer conducting tests both in space and on the ground to address the thruster issues, but concerns about the propulsion system’s reliability persisted. Engineers believe excessive heat from repeated firings may cause seals to swell, blocking propellant flow. These unresolved issues ultimately prompted NASA to delay the astronauts’ return and opt for SpaceX’s Dragon instead.
Despite the setbacks, Boeing and NASA remain committed to the Starliner program, with plans to continue alternating flights between SpaceX and Boeing through to the ISS’s planned decommissioning in 2030. The timeline is tight, but Boeing aims to prove the viability of Starliner as a reliable transport for astronauts.
NASA officials are now focused on analysing the returned capsule to determine the path forward. While the next Starliner flight with astronauts remains uncertain, Boeing is determined to get back on track, underscoring the importance of having multiple companies capable of transporting astronauts safely into space.
NASA continues to provide updates on its Commercial Crew Program, including its partnerships with Boeing and SpaceX, which you can read more about on NASA’s official page.
