WASHINGTON,7th September, 2024 (WAM) – Boeing's first Starliner capsule to carry astronauts to the International Space Station left the orbiting lab on Friday (Sept. 6) leaving its crew behind as it prepares for landing.
The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the station at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT) aqs both craft sailed 260 miles above central China on Friday evening. It is scheduled to land on the desert floor of White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at about 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) on Saturday, 7th September.
NASA decided to return the Starliner home without crew due to thruster concerns, though the capsule's thrusters appeared to work fine during undocking.
NASA ultimately decided that sending Crew Flight Test's (CFT) two astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, home on Starliner was too risky. So the duo will ride home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in February 2025, while Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed.