Starliner Returns

Image Credit:  NASA

White Sands Space Harbor, NM. -  Today, September 7, 2024, the Boeing Starliner “Calypso” returned to Earth this morning at 12:01 AM EST landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico without her crew aboard. Starliner undocked from the International Space Station (I.S.S.) at 6:04 PM EST and began the journey back to Earth.

Image Credit:  NASA

Image Credit:  Michael Howard We Report Space

What was to be a one week mission to the I.S.S., Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, launched when back on June 5, 2024 the Boeing Starliner “Calypso” capsule was on its way into history with the flight of the Crew Flight Test 1 (C.F.T) mission. However, after making orbit, Starliner had already begun a series of problems that postponed arrival at the station. While arriving at the station behind schedule, the capsule and crew docked at the station. It was just the beginning of a series of issues and delays that in the end, the decision was made to finally send Starliner home without the crew as a matter of safety.

Image Credit:  NASA

In a statement from NASA: “We are excited to have Starliner home safely. This was an important test flight for NASA in setting us up for future missions on the Starliner system,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “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.”

In a statement from Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington: “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. 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.”

In a statement from Boeing: "I want to recognize the work the Starliner teams did to ensure a successful and safe undocking, deorbit, re-entry and landing," said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's Commercial Crew Program. "We will review the data and determine the next steps for the program."

Delayed for years, the Starliner has been plagued with setbacks and issues dating back years. This is not something that came with this single flight. Back in May of 2022, the OFT-2 launch had been delayed when it was originally scheduled for July 30, 2021, however the launch was delayed to August 3, 2021 due to a situation with the International Space Station. During those launch activities; there was a scrub of the flight due to Starliner valve issues. These valve issues required the return of the Atlas V to the Vertical Integration Facility and Starliner returning to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. In December 2019, OFT-1 failed to reach the ISS due to a faulty timer and made an early return to Earth landing at White Sands in New Mexico.

Now that Starliner is back on Earth, it will be prepared for a trip back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where is will undergo testing and await the next decision as to a future flight.

Astronauts Suni Williams & Butch Wilmore will not be returning to earth on the spacecraft that they left from, but on a SpaceX Dragon, now scheduled for February, 2025.  Image Credits:  NASA, Michael Howard and Graham Smith for We Report Space.  Story by:  Michael Howard and Graham Smith for We Report Space