end of Boeing’s distressing mission

The Starliner landing is finally over. The doomed mission that pushed Boeing to its limits and made headlines in Spain has returned empty to Earth, after detaching from the ISS in the early hours of Saturday, September 7 (Spanish local time). The capsule finally landed without a crew in White Sand, New Mexico (United States).

After a series of back-and-forths, and after many doubts about its return, the Starliner is back on Earth… but without a crew. On August 30, NASA announced one of the worst-case scenarios for the aerospace company; the Starliner’s return to Earth without any crew “not before 6:04 p.m. EDT” (midnight in Spain on Friday, September 6). And so it was.

What will happen now with Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, both astronauts stuck on the ISS after liftoff on June 5? Wilmore and Williams will remain on the International Space Station and will not return until February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, making it even more problematic for Boeing if possible.

Starliner lands on Earth

After beginning to undock from the ISS in the early hours of Saturday, September 7, the Starliner makes a complete six-hour journey on EarthSpecifically, the capsule detached from the orbiting laboratory at 6:04 p.m. local time (10:04 p.m. Friday) and arrived in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. local time (4:01 a.m. Saturday).

During this journey, the capsule performed a complex sequence of 12 short burns to move the ship away from the ISS and reach what is called the safety zone, and thus enter Earth orbit. Finally, thanks to the Starliner’s integrated parachutes, the capsule was able to land at White Sand without too many complications, which is a relief for Boeing.

The trip was experienced with great anticipation, especially because to the many problems that the ship has presented in recent months and which indeed anchored Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station. It’s also worth remembering that the Starliner had already faced a good handful of failed launches before successfully taking off on June 5, which added even more tension to the proceedings.

Despite this, Boeing was already prepared. The Starliner’s maneuvers had already been put to the test, as the spacecraft successfully entered and landed without a crew during two previous orbital flight tests. This certified that the Starliner was capable of undocking from the station. independently and safely.

Initially, the objective according to the two astronauts It was about going home on the Starliner. In fact, these specialists were supposed to spend only 8 days on the International Space Station, a stay that ultimately lasted more than 4 months, and will last until February 2025. Even before takeoff, Boeing and NASA detected problems in the capsule, which remained docked.

Steve Stich, director of NASA’s current Commercial Crew Program, said this week that helium leaks detected in five of the ship’s 28 thrusters could be caused by due to corrosion present in some joints. Despite this, the executive defended that the propulsion system was capable of functioning as intended.

During these months, the company and the space agency have studied the origin and possible solutions to these problems. Finally, NASA has entrusted SpaceX with the return home of Wilmore and Williams. This plan B consists of leaving two empty seats on the Crew-9 ship who will travel to the ISS at the end of September as part of the agency’s regular astronaut rotation.

In any case, this landing puts an end to Boeing’s eventful manned mission, which has not only been a financial drain for the company, but also a series of serious problems for the project. Let us recall that this first manned flight was to be the final test before starting regular operations as the second largest provider of manned and cargo mission transportation for NASA, along with SpaceX.