Boeing's Starliner Capsule Poised for Key Return to Earth on September 6

NASA has officially set the date for the return of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, aiming for undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Friday, September 6, pending suitable weather and no technical setbacks.

If all goes according to plan, Starliner will disengage from the ISS at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT) on September 6, touching down under parachutes about six hours later at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Breaking New Ground Amid Technical Hurdles

The Starliner mission that launched on June 5 marked its inaugural crewed flight featuring NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. Despite docking successfully, technical glitches arose the day after launch, including multiple helium leaks and five of the 28 reaction control system thrusters failing.

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Originally scheduled for roughly a ten-day duration, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission was extended so NASA and Boeing could thoroughly investigate thruster malfunctions and identify any risks for the return trip.

Ultimately, NASA judged it unsafe for Williams and Wilmore to return onboard Starliner. Consequently, the agency revealed that the astronauts will journey back via a SpaceX Dragon capsule, with the return scheduled for February next year.

Uncrewed Return Puts Starliner’s Reliability to the Test

The upcoming Crew-9 mission will launch two astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft next month, while Starliner will perform its return to Earth without a crew. After a joint flight readiness review by NASA and Boeing, the departure timing for Starliner was confirmed.

NASA emphasizes that the uncrewed Starliner will carry out a fully autonomous descent and landing. Mission teams will oversee the operation from Houston’s Starliner Mission Control as well as Boeing’s Florida-based Mission Control Centre. Remote commands can be issued if needed, guaranteeing safe undocking, atmospheric re-entry, and parachute-assisted touchdown in the American Southwest.

It’s worth noting that this won’t be Starliner’s first independent return; the capsule has completed two prior uncrewed test missions—one in December 2019 and another in May 2022. While the first flight did not achieve ISS docking, the May 2022 mission successfully docked.