NASA has decided to return the Boeing Starliner to Earth without the astronauts it delivered to the ISS. Returning without the crew will allow the agency and Boeing to continue collecting data for testing the Starliner, as well as to avoid exposing the crew to greater risk than necessary.
The Starliner delivered astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station on June 6, 2024. But 5 of the 28 engines of the ship’s reaction control system overheated and failed. NASA engineers are concerned that the Starliner may face similar problems on its return.
In September this year, the Starliner will take off from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous reentry and landing.
The astronauts will remain in orbit and continue to work as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew until February 2025. After that, they will fly home aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft along with two other crew members of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, who will arrive at the station on September 24, 2024.
Boeing received $4.2 billion from NASA to complete the development of the Starliner spacecraft and conduct at least two, and potentially up to six, flights to rotate crews between Earth and the International Space Station. SpaceX won a contract worth USD 2.6 billion to perform almost the same amount of work.
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