Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth after a prolonged mission. It landed in the New Mexico desert early in the morning of September 7, 2024. Originally intended to last 10 days, the mission extended to over 3 months due to various technical issues. However, the astronauts remain stranded in space…

Starliner Returned Without Crew!

NASA astronaut Suni Williams stated after the landing that the Calypso performed a great landing. This Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission by Boeing was initially planned to include astronauts Williams and Butch Wilmore. However, technical issues during the mission led NASA to decide that the astronauts would return to Earth on a different capsule due to safety concerns.

Problems with Starliner’s control systems resulted in the capsule’s initial docking attempt with the International Space Station (ISS) failing.

Despite extensive testing by NASA and Boeing engineers to resolve the issues, these efforts did not change the decision that the astronauts would return without crew. NASA announced that Williams and Wilmore would remain at the ISS until 2025 and return with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

This landing of Starliner was intended to be a significant milestone in Boeing’s certification process for future crewed space missions. However, these issues could further delay Starliner’s full certification. Boeing’s first operational flight scheduled for 2025 has also been officially postponed.

Despite the challenges faced by Boeing, NASA and the company’s engineering teams have pledged to take the necessary steps to ensure Starliner can safely carry crew in the future. Concerns about the stranded crew in space continue.