Starliner returns to Earth from ISS — however astronauts left behind in house

An infamous spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth, minus the astronauts it carried into space.

While NASA was delighted to see the safe return of Boeing’s Starliner, astronauts Barry Wilmore (Butch) and Sunita Williams (Suni) will remain in orbit until February 2025. The pair were onboard for the first crewed test flight of the capsule, but several problems arose, leading the American space agency to delay their return.

Butch and Suni set off on their journey on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida. They were the first crew on board Starliner, which itself was heading out for the third time.

However, on their approach to the ISS, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters.

After weeks of testing both in space and on the ground, plus meetings and reviews, NASA chose to prioritize safety and return Starliner without a crew.

Butch and Suni will keep working on the station as members of the Expedition 71/72 crew and will come back next year with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

Starliner separated from the ISS and then flew back to Earth in six hours.

It returned to the atmosphere and used parachutes to decrease its speed, landing safely at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

“I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible. NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station.”

Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program said it was an important test flight, setting the agency up for future missions.

“There was a lot of valuable learning that will enable our long-term success. I want to commend the entire team for their hard work and dedication over the past three months.”

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program needs a spacecraft to conduct a crewed test flight. This will show that the system is prepared for regular trips to and from the space station.

Following Starliner’s return, the agency will analyze all mission data.

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