The Boeing Starliner spacecraft returns to Earth unmanned while stranded NASA astronauts turn to new tasks on the ISS

• Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has returned safely to Earth – but without its astronauts.

• The spacecraft struggled with numerous problems related to the engines and helium leaks.

• NASA said it had decided to “prioritize safety and return Starliner without a crew.”

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has returned unmanned to Earth after a three-month flight test to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA announced on Saturday.

The spacecraft successfully landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 6.

The Starliner launched on June 5 with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission, known as the “Crew Flight Test,” was planned as a short, eight-day mission.

The mission was Starliner’s final flight test and its goal was to “validate the transport system,” with astronauts testing its operational capability.

But even before the Starliner spacecraft reached the ISS, problems arose: NASA and Boeing discovered helium leaks and problems with the engines during the approach to the space station.

“After weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical exchanges, and agency reviews, NASA has made the decision to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew,” NASA said. “Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard the station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and return in February 2025 on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.”

According to NASA, Wilmore and Williams have long since completed their primary duties and are now helping the rest of the ISS crew with maintenance tasks, scientific experiments and station research.

“Recent scientific discoveries include new methods for producing fiber optic cables and growing plants on board the orbital complex,” NASA said.

It went on to say that the station was “equipped with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing and oxygen,” and that Wilmore and Williams were aware of the “possibilities and unknowns” of their mission, “including the possibility of remaining on board the station longer than planned.”

Ken Bowersox, deputy administrator of the Space Operations Mission Directorate, said of the Starliner’s return: “Although it was necessary to return the spacecraft unmanned, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about the Starliner in the most extreme environment possible.”

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