Why are astronauts still in space? Starliner will return – without its crew
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, currently facing some issues, is set to leave the International Space Station (ISS) and return to Earth without its crew this Friday.
If the weather is favorable, the capsule will detach from the ISS at 6:04 p.m. Eastern time, according to NASA’s announcement on August 29. It will complete a six-hour journey before landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, utilizing parachutes and airbags.
The flight controllers in Houston and the Boeing Mission Control Center in Florida will oversee the capsule’s journey back to Earth.
The two astronauts aboard, Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, will remain on the space station until February. They are scheduled to come back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Details about Boeing’s Starliner capsule
Once it lands, the Starliner capsule will be sent back to Boeing’s facility at the Kennedy Space Center located on Merritt Island, Florida.
Where is Starliner going to land?
Starliner was originally planned to return with Williams and Wilmore on board. However, due to helium leaks that impaired the thrusters, NASA opted out of sending it back with the crew after it had already docked at the ISS safely.
While the astronauts will be at the ISS for eight months instead of the intended eight days, NASA assures that they are neither “stuck” nor “stranded.” The space station has plenty of supplies and sleeping arrangements for them.
The landing method for Starliner
The two astronauts will continue their operations as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew until February 2025, NASA indicates. They are set to return with the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, which is scheduled to launch on September 24.
Starliner has previously accomplished two uncrewed flights with successful landings in December 2019 and May 2022. The first attempt, however, did not reach orbit and failed to dock with the space station in 2019. The second flight successfully docked at the ISS during Boeing’s corrective measures in 2022.
Contributions by: Max Hauptman
Source: YSL News Network reporting and research; Reuters; NASA; space.com
