Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
NASA will return the leaky Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Earth without its crew in early September.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore flew aboard NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which experienced helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters as it approached the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6.
The astronauts’ unscheduled stay will be extended until February 2025, as they continue to work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew.
The uncrewed return will allow NASA and Boeing to collect data on Starliner while avoiding risk to the crew.
“Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, USA.
“We’ve learned a lot about the spacecraft during its journey to the station and its docked operations. We also will continue to gather more data about Starliner during the uncrewed return and improve the system for future flights to the space station.”
Williams and Wilmore will instead return to Earth about 5 months later with 2 other crew members assigned to the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
The Crew-9 mission was originally planned for 4 crew members but will instead launch with 2 open seats no earlier than September 24.
NASA and SpaceX are now working to reconfigure the Crew-9 Dragon launch to accommodate its new crew members. This includes reconfiguring seats and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Williams and Wilmore.
