The highly anticipated return of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft concluded on Friday, with the unmanned capsule parachuting down into New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range. This marked the end of the mission that initially launched astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore into space in June. However, the duo remains in orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and is unlikely to return to Earth before the end of the year.
The initial plan was for Williams and Wilmore to return aboard Starliner in mid-June, but a series of technical hurdles emerged, including recurring helium leaks and other mechanical snags within the capsule. Following these issues, NASA deemed it too risky for the astronauts to return on the Starliner, prompting a change in plans.
The astronauts will now make their journey back to Earth via SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, with the launch scheduled for the end of February 2024. Initially, the Dragon mission was slated to carry four astronauts, but the number was adjusted to accommodate Williams and Wilmore.
In the meantime, NASA has unveiled the crew for its SpaceX Crew-9 mission, set to launch in September 2024. Astronaut Nick Hague will serve as commander, while Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will fill the role of mission specialist. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously assigned to the Crew-9 mission, have been reassigned for future spaceflights.
