Boeing to return empty capsule to Earth soon. Two NASA astronauts to stay behind

Boeing will attempt to return its troubled capsule from the International Space Station later this week, with empty seats.

NASA announced Wednesday that everything is on track for the Starliner capsule to undock from the space station Friday night. The fully automated capsule will aim to land at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico six hours later.

The two NASA astronauts stuck aboard Starliner will remain in the orbiting lab. They will return home with SpaceX in February, eight months after their launch, on a test flight that was supposed to last a week. Propellant problems and helium leaks delayed their return until NASA decided it was too risky for them to accompany Starliner as originally planned.

“It’s been a long journey to get here and we’re thrilled to have Starliner back,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager.

On Thursday, NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will batten down the hatches between Starliner and the space station. They are now considered full-time members of the station’s crew, along with the seven others on board, helping with experiments and maintenance, and stepping up their exercises to keep their bones and muscles strong during their extended exposure to weightlessness.

To make room for them on SpaceX’s next taxi flight, the Dragon capsule will launch with two astronauts instead of the usual four. Two of them were removed late last week from the six-month expedition, which is scheduled to take off in late September. Boeing must clear the parking space for SpaceX’s arrival.

Boeing encountered serious flaws with Starliner well before the June 5 liftoff in the long-delayed astronaut demonstration.

Starliner’s first test flight in 2019 went so poorly (the capsule never reached the space station due to software errors) that the mission was repeated three years later. More problems arose, leading to more delays and more than $1 billion in repairs.

The capsule had suffered multiple thruster failures and helium leaks from the propulsion system by the time it reached the space station after launch. Boeing conducted extensive testing of the thrusters in space and on the ground, and claimed the capsule could safely return astronauts. But NASA disagreed, prompting the complex flight change.

Starliner will launch faster and more smoothly than expected, using springs to lift itself away from the space station and then short bursts of thrusters to gradually increase the distance. The original plan called for an hour of waiting near the station, mostly to take photos; that time has been reduced to about 20 minutes to reduce stress on the capsule’s thrusters and ensure the safety of the station.

Additional test firings of Starliner’s 28 thrusters are planned before the critical descent from orbit. Engineers want to know as much as possible because the thrusters will not return to Earth; the section containing them will be abandoned before the capsule re-enters.

The stranded astronauts, retired Navy captains, have lived aboard the space station before and have adapted very well, NASA officials said. Even though their mission focus has changed, “they are still as dedicated to the success of human spaceflight in the future,” said flight director Anthony Vareha.

Their blue Boeing spacesuits will return with the capsule, along with some old station equipment.

A decade ago, NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX to ferry its astronauts to and from the space station after its shuttles retired. SpaceX accomplished that feat in 2020 and has since launched nine crews for NASA and four for private customers.

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