Boeing’s Starliner Departs International Space Station Without Astronauts After Extended Delays

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft departed the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, months after its scheduled departure, and notably without the two astronauts who traveled in it during its June launch.

Nasa reported that the Starliner undocked autonomously just after 6 p.m. ET, beginning its six-hour journey to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The departure is being livestreamed.

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, originally set to return to Earth aboard the Starliner shortly after their June launch, will remain at the ISS until February. The duo faced technical issues during their journey to the space station, including thruster failures and helium leaks. NASA ultimately deemed the return too risky, opting instead to have them return via the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft next year. For now, the Starliner is returning to Earth carrying only empty seats, spacesuits, and old equipment.

This mission marks the latest chapter in Boeing’s troubled Starliner program. Since NASA retired its space shuttles over a decade ago, both Boeing and SpaceX were hired to provide crew transport to the ISS. However, Boeing has faced multiple delays, including an unsuccessful unmanned test flight in 2019 that had to be repeated in 2022. The cumulative repair costs have now exceeded $1.5 billion.

The Starliner successfully launched on 5 June after failed attempts on 6 May and 1 June, which were marred by a valve issue and a power supply fault. Even after reaching space, helium leaks continued to cause concern. Despite these setbacks, NASA assured the public that the mission was stable and the astronauts were not in danger.

“We’ll come home when we’re ready,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said during a July press conference.