Boeing’s new space capsule, the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, is set to return to Earth without the two NASA test pilots who were originally planned to be on board. Due to technical problems, pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will not be hitching a ride back from the International Space Station (ISS) as scheduled.
Wilmore and Williams flew to the ISS in June on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. Their purpose was to conduct various tasks including station research, maintenance, system testing, and data analysis.
The Starliner, which has already completed two flights and is designed for autonomous operation, will touch down in the New Mexico desert early on September 7th.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized that spaceflight always carries risks. He stated that a test flight is inherently unsafe and non-routine. The decision to keep Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS while bringing back Boeing’s Starliner uncrewed reflects NASA’s commitment to safety as their top priority.
The two pilots will continue their work with Expedition 71/72 until February 2025 when they are scheduled to return on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate commended both NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis of the situation. He acknowledged that valuable information about the spacecraft has been gathered during its journey and docked operations at the ISS. This data will contribute towards improving future flights of Starliner.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager expressed confidence in Starliner as a capable spacecraft but stressed that a higher level of certainty is needed before it can carry passengers. The ongoing flight test aims at providing critical information about Starliner’s performance in space which will inform future corrective actions for this spacecraft.