09/06/2024

Boeing Soon Will Fly its Empty Capsule Back to Earth

Two NASA astronauts will stay behind

Boeing will attempt to return its problem-plagued capsule from the International Space Station later this week — with empty seats.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Wednesday that everything is on track for the Starliner capsule to undock from the space station Friday evening. The fully automated capsule will aim for a touchdown in New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range six hours later.

NASA’s two stuck astronauts who flew up on Starliner will remain behind at the orbiting lab. They’ll ride home with SpaceX in February, eight months after launching on what should have been a weeklong test flight. Thruster trouble and helium leaks kept delaying their return until NASA decided that it was too risky for them to accompany Starliner back as originally planned.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Associated Press.