Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spaceship lands successfully: webcast

In this image taken from a video provided by NASA, the empty Boeing Starliner capsule is seen floating toward the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico after undocking from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. | Photo credit: AP/NASA

Boeing’s troubled Starliner aircraft headed to the International Space Station returned to Earth on Saturday (Sept. 7, 2024) without astronauts on board after NASA deemed the risk too severe.

The gumdrop-shaped capsule landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at about 0401 GMT, slowed by parachutes and aided by airbags as it took off from the ISS about six hours earlier.

After months of turmoil over safety, Boeing’s new astronaut capsule is ready Departed from the International Space Station It will depart back to Earth without its crew on Friday (September 6, 2024).

Two NASA test pilots remained aboard the space station — their home until next year — as the Starliner capsule undocked 260 miles (420 kilometers) over China as springs slowly pushed it away from the orbiting lab. The return flight was expected to take six hours, with a nighttime landing in the New Mexico desert.

“He’s on his way home,” astronaut Suni Williams said over the radio after exiting the Starliner

Ms Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to be back on Earth a week after Starliner launched in June. But thruster failures and a helium leak disrupted their journey to the space station.

NASA ultimately decided it was too risky to bring the two back on the Starliner. So the fully automated capsule departed with its empty seats and blue spacesuits, along with some old station equipment. SpaceX will bring the two back in late February, extending their original eight-day mission to more than eight months.

(With inputs from AP)