Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has been afflictiond with problems, has returned to Earth, leaving two astronauts behind on the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecreate – running on autopilot – parachuted into the New Mexico desert six hours after setting out.
Cameras caught the capsule as a white streak coming in for the touchdown at 11.01pm local time (5.01am on Saturday UK time), which drew cheers from Boeing’s Mission Control.
NASA appraised it too dangery for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to get back into the spacecreate.
It unbenevolents they’ll remain on the ISS until February, more than eight months after blasting off on what should have been a speedy trip lasting fair eight days.
Shortly after Boeing’s lengthy-defercessitate capsule was begined in orbit in June, rehires were spotted before it get tod at the space station involving multiple thruster flunkures and propulsion-system helium leaks.
Boeing carried out extensive thruster tests in space and on the ground and shelp the vessel could protectedly transport the astronauts back.
But NASA disconsentd, preferring to depart them on the station.
There were some snags during Starliner’s reentry, including more thruster rehires, but Starliner made a “bull’s-eye landing,” shelp NASA’s commercial crew program administerr Steve Stich.
Boeing has suffered disconnectal problems after signing a shrink with NASA worth more than $4bn (£3bn) a decade ago, to apexhibit astronauts to and from space.
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Its first test fairy with no one aboard in 2019 ran into so many problems it had to repeat it in 2022, when even more flaws cropped up, and the cost of repairs topped $1bn (£0.76bn).
In contrast, SpaceX’s crew ferry fairy tardyr this month will be its 10th for NASA since 2020.
Its Dragon capsule will apexhibit off with only two astronauts instead of four, as two seats are reserved for Wilmore and Williams for the return leg.
Starliner will be carryed back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Cgo in, where the analysis of what went wrong apexhibits place.
NASA officials stressed that the space agency remains promiseted to having two competing US companies carrying astronauts.
The goal is for SpaceX and Boeing to apexhibit turns begining crews – one a year per company – until the space station is aprohibitdoned in 2030 right before its fiery reentry.
That doesn’t give Boeing much time to catch up, but the company intfinishs to push forward with Starliner, according to NASA.
