Boeing’s Starliner capsule heads back to Earth, without its two astronauts who remained on the ISS

So far, so good. Boeing’s Starliner capsule left the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, September 6, to return to Earth, but without the two astronauts it had carried on the way there, due to concerns about the safety of the spacecraft.

“The separation is confirmed”NASA said in its video broadcast at 2204 GMT (0004 CET Saturday), adding: “Starliner is now moving away from the station and beginning its return to Earth.”Its landing at a base in New Mexico, in the southwest of the United States, is scheduled for 4:03 GMT on Saturday (6:03 a.m. Paris time).

The reputation of the American aeronautics giant – already dented by numerous recent problems with its airliners – took a further hit in June when thruster failures and helium leaks on the capsule were detected during the inaugural manned flight.

Despite the manufacturer’s attempts to convince NASA of the safety of its device, the space agency preferred to bring Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back via Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX, and its Crew Dragon capsule. The two astronauts, who will not return until next year, will remain in space for more than eight months, whereas they were initially supposed to carry out an eight-day mission.

A key success for Boeing

NASA’s commercial human spaceflight program manager Steve Stich told reporters this week that despite Boeing’s certainty about its projections, the space agency “was not comfortable” to proceed with Starliner “due to the uncertainty around the model”.

A smooth return flight on Friday will be essential for the American manufacturer, not only for its pride, but also for its future chances of obtaining new manned flight approvals.

During the return flight, ground crews must monitor Starliner’s performance in all its aspects, particularly its thrusters – which have been experiencing problems – during the push that will allow it to leave orbit and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Stich said NASA is focused on the immediate tasks at hand.

Once the return of Starliner is confirmed, “We will have a better understanding of when we can certify the aircraft and when we can resume flights.”he said.

NASA ordered a new spacecraft from Boeing and SpaceX ten years ago to each transport its astronauts to the ISS. With two vehicles, it wants to not be left without a solution in the event of a problem with one or the other. But Elon Musk’s company has largely beaten Boeing and has been acting alone as the American space taxi for four years now.

This first crewed flight of Starliner, carried out years late due to setbacks during its development, was to be the last test before the launch of regular operations.