'Gas Defect' Boeing Spacecraft Starts Unmanned Return Leaving Astronauts on ISS

About three months after being launched from Earth, Boeing's space capsule "Starliner," which failed to complete its crewed test flight due to a spacecraft malfunction after reaching the International Space Station (ISS), is returning to Earth without astronauts.

NASA announced that Starliner undocked from the ISS at 6:04 p.m. local time on the 6th, began a series of burns and engine starts, and initiated its own orbital flight.

Starliner is scheduled to land within six hours at White Sands Space Harbor in the New Mexico desert, provided that ground wind speeds and other weather conditions are met.

If weather conditions are not suitable before the deorbit burn, landing will be attempted again within 24 to 31 hours.

Starliner departed Earth on June 5th for its first crewed test flight carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, but after docking with the ISS, several spacecraft malfunctions such as helium leaks and thruster failures were detected, causing the Earth return schedule to be repeatedly delayed.

Ultimately, on the 24th of last month, NASA decided on an "uncrewed return" of Starliner to ensure the safety of the astronauts and chose to use SpaceX's space capsule "Dragon," led by Elon Musk, for the astronauts' return.

SpaceX's Dragon is scheduled to depart for the ISS on the 24th, complete its mission, and then return in February next year carrying Wilmore and Williams, who will be staying on the ISS.