Boeing's beleaguered astronaut capsule is set to depart the International Space Station on Friday without its crew. NASA's two test pilots will stay behind as the Starliner capsule prepares to undock and aims for a touchdown in New Mexico. Its exit follows months of turmoil over its safety.
This photo provided by NASA shows Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft which launched astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on July 3, 2024, seen from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the adjacent port. In this photo provided by NASA, astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams inspect safety hardware aboard the International Space Station on Aug. 9, 2024.
NASA ultimately decided it was too risky to return Wilmore and Williams on Starliner. So the capsule contains their empty seats and blue spacesuits along with some old station equipment. SpaceX will bring the duo back in late February, stretching their original eight-day mission to more than eight months.
Boeing’s first astronaut flight caps a journey filled with delays and setbacks. After the space shuttles retired more than a decade ago, NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX for orbital taxi service. Boeing ran into so many problems on its first test flight with no one aboard in 2019 that it had to repeat it. The 2022 do-over uncovered even more flaws and the repair bill topped $1 billion.
NM State Wire A Business National Aeronautics And Space Administration F N Science
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boeing's beleaguered space capsule is heading back to Earth without two NASA astronautsBoeing's beleaguered astronaut capsule is set to depart the International Space Station on Friday without its crew.
Read more »
Boeing's beleaguered space capsule is heading back to Earth without two NASA astronautsBoeing's beleaguered astronaut capsule is set to depart the International Space Station on Friday without its crew.
Read more »
Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft Is Coming Back to Earth—Without NASA AstronautsBoeing's Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth on September 6, but the two NASA astronauts originally on board will remain in space.
Read more »
Coming Back Empty: NASA Schedules Boeing Starliner for Earth Return on September 6Science, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Boeing's uncrewed Starliner capsule could return to Earth by late next week, NASA saysReuters
Read more »
SpaceX Steps Up: NASA Bringing Boeing Starliner Back to Earth Without AstronautsScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »