NASA prepares for Boeing Starliner return without Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore: Check the landing plan

The Boeing Starliner space capsule – which lost the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) confidence in the safe return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) – will begin its uncrewed return from orbit on Friday. If all goes well, the Boeing Starliner will reportedly land by parachute in New Mexico early Saturday.

The Starliner carried Indian astronauts Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore on its first manned test flight to the ISS on June 5. However, the Starliner’s development has been hampered by delays due to engine failures and helium leaks.

Starliner’s return plan

According to NASA’s plan, the Starliner is to undock on Friday at 6:04 p.m., depending on the weather conditions. It will be guided towards Earth using engines. The unmanned capsule is expected to land at the White Sands spaceport in New Mexico at around 12:03 a.m. on Saturday.

LIVE: We discuss the upcoming return of unmanned #Starliner The spacecraft is scheduled to touch down on Earth at around 12:03 a.m. ET (04:03 UTC) on Saturday, September 7. For the latest updates, visit: https://t.co/kHunxaULB3

— NASA (@NASA) 4 September 2024

“It’s been a journey to get here and we’re excited for Starliner to undock and return,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, during a press conference.

NASA’s plan to bring back Sunita Williams

NASA insists Wilmore and Williams were never stranded or stuck, but said they likely won’t return to Earth until February 2025. “They always had a way to leave the space station. To me, when someone is stranded, there’s a place they can’t leave,” Stich said.

Much to Boeing’s embarrassment, both astronauts are now scheduled to return on competitor SpaceX’s next Crew Dragon mission, which is scheduled to launch with a two-person crew instead of a four-person one.

However, Boeing has maintained that the Starliner is safe enough to bring the astronauts back. In a statement, the company said: “We are conducting the mission as defined by NASA and are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”

Meanwhile, NASA said Boeing must now conduct further ground tests with the Starliner before it can be fully certified for future manned flights.