Boeing's Starliner Undocked And Landed... What Happened?

NASA turned to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has already completed nine successful crewed missions for NASA. This decision extended Wilmore and Williams’ planned eight-day stay on the international space station to eight months, with their new return date set for February 2025. In the meantime, SpaceX will launch its next Crew Dragon vehicle in September 2023, and Wilmore and Williams will return on that spacecraft at the end of its mission.
Although the astronauts did not return in Starliner, the spacecraft completed its journey back to Earth autonomously. On September 16, 2023, Starliner undocked from the international space station and began its descent. The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and successfully landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico after a six-hour flight. Parachutes were deployed to slow the capsule’s descent, ensuring a smooth landing.
The successful return of Starliner, even without its crew, provided Boeing with some relief after months of technical challenges. It was a chance for the company to demonstrate that, despite its setbacks, the spacecraft could safely return from orbit. However, the issues with this mission are part of a larger trend of difficulties for Boeing, which has struggled in recent years to repair its reputation after a series of high-profile failures in both its aviation and space divisions.
Boeing’s Starliner program has been delayed multiple times over the years. The spacecraft’s development has been fraught with technical problems, leading to several postponed missions. Starliner’s first uncrewed test flight took place in 2019, but it was unsuccessful due to a software error that caused the spacecraft to miss its intended orbit. A second uncrewed test flight in 2022 also encountered technical difficulties, further delaying the program. Despite these setbacks, NASA has remained committed to the Starliner program.
NASA has expressed confidence that Boeing will eventually resolve the issues with Starliner. Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, stated that he is “100% certain” that Starliner will fly with astronauts again in the future. NASA officials have assured that both astronauts are in good spirits and are fully equipped for their extended stay. In July 2024, a resupply mission delivered additional gear and personal items for the astronauts, ensuring they have everything they need for the remainder of their mission.
While Boeing has managed to bring the Starliner capsule back to Earth safely, another Boeing-led project is drawing criticism: the Space Launch System.
As we all know, NASA is no longer building rockets and launching missions on its own. These days, they rely on contractors to do the heavy lifting.