Boeing’s Starliner Returns Uncrewed as NASA Selects SpaceX for Astronaut Return

By Desk On Aug 25, 2024

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying two astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT), is launched on a mission to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US June 5, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS

NASA has decided to bring Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule back to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Instead, the two astronauts will return on a SpaceX vehicle early next year, NASA chief Bill Nelson announced on Saturday.

Starliner first launched with astronauts on June 5, in a mission critical to securing NASA approval for routine flights. However, what was intended to be an eight-day mission docked at the ISS has been extended by months due to leaks and thruster failures.

Here’s a timeline of key events in Starliner’s journey:

Sept. 4, 2015: Boeing unveils its first line of commercial spaceships, intended for NASA missions to the ISS.
Nov. 4, 2019: Boeing reports a parachute failure during a critical unmanned test of Starliner.
Dec. 20, 2019: Starliner launches on its uncrewed debut flight to the ISS.
Dec. 22, 2019: The capsule lands successfully in New Mexico.
Jan. 7, 2020: NASA and Boeing investigate a software glitch that prevented Starliner from reaching the ISS.
Feb. 6, 2020: NASA reveals Boeing narrowly avoided a “catastrophic failure” during the December test.
Aug. 25, 2020: The first crewed mission is scheduled for 2021.
Oct. 7, 2020: Chief astronaut Chris Ferguson steps down from the mission, replaced by Butch Wilmore.

July 29, 2021: A space station mishap delays Starliner’s launch.
Aug. 3, 2021: Boeing postpones the launch due to a glitch.
Aug. 13, 2021: The spacecraft is returned to the factory to address a valve issue.
May 19, 2022: Starliner launches on a second uncrewed test flight.
May 20, 2022: Starliner docks with the ISS for the first time.
Aug. 25, 2022: Boeing targets early 2023 for the first crewed mission.
June 1, 2023: Boeing halts preparations for the first crewed test flight due to safety issues.
May 3, 2024: Boeing prepares to send Starliner into orbit with a human crew.
May 6, 2024: The launch is postponed due to a fault with the Atlas V rocket.
May 14, 2024: The mission is delayed again over an issue with the propulsion system.
June 1, 2024: A second launch attempt is aborted by the computer system.
June 5, 2024: Starliner successfully launches with two astronauts aboard and docks with the ISS.
June 21, 2024: NASA postpones Starliner’s return to Earth to address technical issues.
Aug. 7, 2024: NASA indicates that if Starliner remains unsafe, the astronauts may return on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in 2025.
Aug. 24, 2024: NASA announces that the Starliner capsule will return to Earth uncrewed, with Wilmore and Williams set to return on a SpaceX vehicle next year.

Despite years of efforts and numerous setbacks, Boeing’s Starliner continues to face challenges, prompting NASA to rely on SpaceX for the safe return of its astronauts.