CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Later this week, Boeing will try to bring back its trouble-prone capsule from the International Space Station, although it will have empty seats on board.
NASA announced on Wednesday that the Starliner capsule is scheduled to detach from the space station on Friday evening. This fully automated capsule aims to land in New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range about six hours after undocking.
The two astronauts who traveled to the space station aboard Starliner will stay behind for now. They are set to return to Earth with SpaceX in February, eight months after what was meant to be a short test flight that should have lasted just a week. Issues with the capsule, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, delayed their homecoming, and NASA ultimately decided it would be safer for them to wait instead of flying back with Starliner as initially planned.
“It’s been a long journey to reach this point, and we’re thrilled to have Starliner make its return,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
On Thursday, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will secure the hatches between the Starliner and the space station. They are now part of the station’s full-time crew, which includes seven other astronauts. Together, they engage in scientific experiments, maintenance tasks, and work on their exercise routines to maintain their physical health during their extended stay in weightlessness.
To make room for the returning astronauts on SpaceX’s upcoming mission, the Dragon capsule will have only two astronauts on board instead of the usual four. This adjustment follows the removal of two crew members from the six-month expedition, which is set to launch in late September. Boeing needs to ensure that there is space available for SpaceX’s arrival.
Boeing has faced significant challenges with the Starliner capsule since long before its launch on June 5 for the long-awaited astronaut demonstration flight.
The Starliner’s first test flight in 2019 encountered serious issues and could not reach the space station due to software errors. As a result, the mission was repeated three years later. Unfortunately, further problems arose, leading to even more delays and repairs costing over $1 billion.
By the time Starliner reached the space station following its recent launch, the capsule had experienced multiple thruster failures and helium leaks in its propulsion system. Boeing conducted thorough tests on the thrusters both in space and on the ground, insisting that the capsule could safely bring the astronauts home. NASA, however, disagreed, leading to the complex arrangements for a ride swap.
Starliner will now make a quicker and simpler departure than originally planned by using springs to push away from the station, followed by brief firings of its thrusters to create distance. Initially, the plan included spending about an hour near the space station for photos, but this has been shortened to about 20 minutes to alleviate stress on the capsule’s thrusters and keep the station safe.
More test firings of Starliner’s 28 thrusters are scheduled before its critical descent back to Earth. Engineers aim to gather as much data as possible from the thrusters since they will not return with the capsule; that section will be discarded before reentry.
The astronauts who are staying behind are retired Navy captains and are accustomed to life on the space station, having adjusted well in the past, as noted by NASA officials. Despite the change in mission focus, they remain committed to the success of future human spaceflight efforts, according to flight director Anthony Vareha.
The blue Boeing spacesuits worn by the astronauts will accompany the capsule on its journey back, along with some older equipment from the space station.
NASA contracted both Boeing and SpaceX about ten years ago to transport astronauts to and from the space station after the retirement of its shuttle program. SpaceX has successfully completed this task since 2020 and has since launched nine crews for NASA as well as four for private clients.
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