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Boeing's Starliner capsule returns to Earth, crew remains on ISS

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay on the ISS until February 2025, after NASA deemed it too risky to return on the Starliner.

NASA has announced that Boeing's uncrewed Starliner spacecraft landed at New Mexico's White Sands Space Harbor at 0400GMT Saturday.

The spacecraft was undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 2204GMT Friday for its return to Earth.

The capsule was scheduled for a deorbit burn at 0317GMT Saturday, with a targeted landing at the space harbour in the southwestern US state of New Mexico.

Boeing said drogue parachutes were utilised to reduce the speed of the Starliner and enhance drag, while three primary parachutes guided the spacecraft toward its designated landing area. Additionally, airbags were activated to soften the impact as the Starliner touched down on the desert terrain.

.@NASA and @BoeingSpace safely returned the uncrewed #Starliner when it landed at 10:01pm MDT Sept. 6 in New Mexico, concluding a three-month flight test to the orbital outpost. https://t.co/f0dzgcOw4P
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) September 7, 2024

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were originally scheduled to return on the Starliner, will remain aboard the ISS until February 2025, extending their mission from eight days to more than eight months. They are expected to return to Earth on Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

The decision to keep the astronauts on the ISS was made after NASA deemed it too risky to return them on Boeing's malfunctioning capsule.

The Starliner, which launched June 5, suffered persistent helium leaks, leading to four postponements of its return.