Boeing’s Starliner undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday and returned to Earth without its crew of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Indian-American Sunita Williams, after a prolonged test mission marked by technical issues.
The two astronauts, who became the first two to fly Starliner in June, remained on the ISS with seven other astronauts 400 km in orbit as Starliner autonomously departed the laboratory at 6:04 pm ET for a six-hour journey toward Earth.
The NASA astronauts bid farewell to a capsule whose propulsion system problems stretched their eight-day test into an eight-month mission. Stocked with extra food and supplies, Wilmore and Williams will instead return on a SpaceX vehicle in February 2025
Touchdown, #Starliner! The uncrewed spacecraft landed at New Mexico’s White Sands Space Harbor at 12:01 am ET (0401 UTC) on Saturday, Sept. 7. pic.twitter.com/Q5lITEzATn— NASA (@NASA) September 7, 2024
#Starliner has undocked from the @Space_Station and will begin its journey back to Earth.@NASA and @BoeingSpace are targeting approx. 12am ET Sept. 7 for the landing and conclusion of the Crew Flight Test mission at the White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico landing site. pic.twitter.com/uB0DgmUUPW— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) September 6, 2024
Problems with capsule
According to NASA, Boeing engineers have uploaded new software to Starliner that allows it to come back without a crew inside. The return trip will be a key test of Starliner’s maneuvering capability. The capsule is poised to use its maneuvering thrusters to gradually lower its orbit and reenter Earth’s atmosphere, followed by a parachute-assisted touchdown at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Five of Starliner’s 28 maneuvering thrusters had failed with Wilmore and Williams on board during their approach to the ISS in June, while the same propulsion system sprang several leaks of helium, which is used to pressurize the thrusters. Despite docking on June 6, the failures set off a monthslong investigation by Boeing that has cost the company $125 million, bringing total cost overruns on the Starliner program since 2016.
Spot #Starliner on its way back to Earth! After the spacecraft undocks from the @Space_Station on Sept. 6, it will soar through Earth’s skies before landing in New Mexico. If you’re on the visibility path (all times MT) and skies are clear, look up and you might see it. pic.twitter.com/k5OfnZZNnb— NASA (@NASA) September 6, 2024
SpaceX
Boeing’s Starliner has faced ongoing issues since its failed 2019 test trip to the ISS without a crew. A subsequent mission in 2022 largely succeeded, though some thrusters malfunctioned.
These troubles highlight Boeing’s struggles in space, a field it once dominated until SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, began offering cheaper satellite and astronaut launches, changing NASA’s approach to working with private companies. Boeing plans to recover the Starliner capsule after its landing in New Mexico and will continue investigating the thruster failures.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment