Starliner to Make Uncrewed Return to Earth, Astronauts to Remain on ISS Until February

The Starliner mission by Boeing is set to return to Earth without any passengers.

After an extensive period of reviewing data and contemplating internally, the officials at NASA have decided that the Starliner spacecraft will make its return journey to Earth in September, sans astronauts. Instead, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will extend their tenure on the International Space Station to February 2025, at which point they will come back aboard SpaceX’s Dragon during the Crew-9 mission.

This decision means the astronauts will have a prolonged stay on the ISS, which, though longer than initially planned, is not unprecedented with others having stayed up to a year. During their extended mission, Wilmore and Williams will engage in various tasks including scientific research, upkeep of the space station, and possibly a number of spacewalks.

The inaugural manned mission of the Starliner, which was more of a trial run, was launched on June 5. However, problems began to emerge just about a day later. During its final approach to link up with the ISS, the Starliner encountered issues when five out of its 28 thrusters failed, alongside multiple helium leaks in its propulsion system. Following these incidents, a comprehensive investigation and testing phase was undertaken by NASA and Boeing engineers to pinpoint the cause, involving in-depth analysis of the spacecraft’s thrusters and similar engine systems on the ground.

Starliner represented a significant gamble for NASA, which had invested around $4.2 billion in its development through a contract to Boeing in 2014. For Boeing, the development of the spacecraft has also come with significant financial overruns, exceeding $1.5 billion.

NASA’s strategic aim was to maintain at least two commercial crew transport services, leading to its contracts with both Boeing and SpaceX. Although SpaceX successfully completed its certification mission by 2020 and has since executed eight missions for NASA, Boeing’s Starliner has been beset with delays.

Despite these setbacks with the Starliner, during a press briefing today, NASA’s leadership spoke positively of its collaboration with Boeing, countering suggestions of lost confidence in either Boeing or the Starliner itself. They clarified that their reservations were more about differing assessments of risk rather than distrust.

“Space exploration carries inherent risks, regardless of how routine it may become,” shared NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Thus, a test flight is inherently unsafe and unique. The decision to proceed with an uncrewed return of Boeing’s Starliner is a reflection of our unwavering dedication to safety: our principal concern and guiding principle.”

Nelson also confidently stated his belief that Starliner is poised for future crewed missions to the ISS.