Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in June, has returned to Earth without them. The mission, initially planned to last eight days, was abruptly cut short when NASA deemed the Starliner unsafe for the astronauts’ return journey. This decision followed the discovery of helium leaks within the spacecraft, which ultimately led to its mission failure.
The astronauts, originally scheduled to return to Earth on the Starliner, will now remain on the ISS until February 2024. They will then travel back to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, a competitor to Boeing’s Starliner. The Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range on Friday. It has been retrieved and will undergo a comprehensive examination to pinpoint the root cause of the helium leaks.
Initial analysis by engineers points to overheating thrusters as the potential culprit. The intense heat caused protective seals to swell, obstructing the flow of propellant and liquid helium. Despite this setback, Boeing remains committed to further developing the Starliner capsule and fulfilling NASA’s vision of having two private US companies vying for space transportation contracts to the ISS and other US space-based operations.
