Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft finally undocked from the International Space Station after being delayed for months, missing its original departure schedule. Despite delivering two astronauts to orbit in early June, NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remained on the ISS, extending their stay until February.
The undocking process of Starliner worked differently than it would have with a crew on board. NASA officials mentioned it was necessary to protect the ISS and because astronauts were not present to manually control the spacecraft if needed. Despite the challenges, Starliner successfully landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico early Saturday morning.
What was initially supposed to be a nine-day mission ended up lasting three months as Boeing investigated issues with the capsule’s thrusters. The prolonged stay was meant to gather more data about Starliner’s propulsion system, which faced setbacks and delays throughout the test flight. The decision to send Starliner back empty was made in late August to understand the root causes of its problems.
The test flight of Starliner, aimed to be a crucial step for Boeing in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, instead highlighted setbacks and challenges for the company. With over $1.5 billion in losses already absorbed, Boeing’s future involvement in the program is now uncertain. The agency’s goal of having two competing companies, Boeing and SpaceX, alternating missions to the ISS now faces uncertainty due to the issues faced by Starliner.
The troubled return of Boeing’s Starliner capsule “Calypso” underscores the complexities and challenges of space travel. While setbacks are not uncommon in the aerospace industry, the delays and technical difficulties experienced by Starliner have raised concerns about the future of Boeing’s participation in NASA’s space exploration initiatives. It remains to be seen how the company will address these issues and regain the trust of both NASA and the public in future missions.