Boeing’s first astronaut mission ended with an empty capsule landing on Friday night, leaving two test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, still in space until next year due to safety concerns. The Starliner capsule landed after departing the International Space Station, following a mission fraught with thruster failures and helium leaks. NASA decided it was too risky to bring the astronauts back on the Starliner and booked a flight with SpaceX instead. Despite some issues during reentry, the capsule made a successful landing in New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range.
Boeing’s executives supported NASA’s decision, noting that while it was not how they envisioned the test flight concluding, they were proud of how the team and spacecraft performed. The crew demo marked the end of a journey filled with delays and setbacks for Boeing, with the repair bill topping $1 billion. SpaceX, on the other hand, has had successful crew ferry flights for NASA, with their upcoming 10th mission scheduled later this month.
NASA remains committed to having SpaceX and Boeing as competing companies for astronaut transportation. Boeing plans to continue with the Starliner program, although it is unclear when the next crewed flight might occur. The goal is for both companies to alternate launching crews until the space station is abandoned in 2030.
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