Boeing’s Starliner returns to Earth amid uncertainty over its future

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft safely returned to Earth, concluding a troubled three-month mission marred by technical issues. Despite the successful landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the mission has sparked a significant review by NASA and Boeing due to safety concerns that led to the decision to keep astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore aboard the International Space Station (ISS) rather than risk their return on the troubled capsule.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft made a successful return to Earth on September 7, marking the end of a challenging three-month mission. The capsule, which landed under parachutes at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, faced multiple technical problems during its mission, including issues with thrusters and propulsion leaks, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Initially, Starliner's mission aimed to test the spacecraft's performance with a crew on board, with hopes of certifying it for routine crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS). However, during its approach to the ISS on June 6, several thrusters on the service module failed to operate correctly, and helium leaks were detected in the propulsion system.

Although the landing was successful, not all systems functioned perfectly. A thruster on the crew module malfunctioned after undocking, but this did not impact the mission due to system redundancy. NASA and Boeing are now set to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of these issues and whether they will require design changes, different operational procedures, or another test flight.

The decision to keep astronauts Williams and Wilmore on the ISS until February, when a SpaceX capsule will return them, underscores the severity of the problems faced by Starliner. This delay extends their mission from the planned eight days to eight months. Boeing, which has already faced significant delays and cost overruns estimated at $1.6 billion, publicly disagreed with NASA's decision, arguing that Starliner was safe for crew return.

NASA and Boeing will need to assess the issues further, but the burned-up service module, which housed the malfunctioning systems, will not be available for detailed analysis. The length of the review and any potential future steps remain uncertain.