Boeing’s Starliner capsule has returned to Earth from the International Space Station without its crew due to safety concerns. \
The capsule undocked 420 kilometers above China and landed in the New Mexico desert after a six-hour journey. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally meant to return on Starliner, stayed at the ISS and will instead return on a SpaceX capsule next year.
Problems began when Starliner encountered thruster failures and helium leaks shortly after launching in June. These issues made it too risky to bring the astronauts back on the spacecraft. Instead, Starliner returned empty, carrying only old station equipment and the astronauts’ unused blue spacesuits.
NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to space after retiring its shuttle program over a decade ago. While SpaceX has successfully completed multiple missions, Boeing’s Starliner faced numerous setbacks, including a costly repair bill and repeated test flights. Despite extensive tests, NASA was not confident in Starliner’s safety for the astronauts’ return.
The Starliner’s journey highlights the challenges of developing new spacecraft technology, but NASA and Boeing continue to work toward ensuring safer space travel for future missions.
