Produced by: Tarun Mishra
NASA has announced that Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth on September 6 without astronauts on board, including Sunita Williams.
The decision follows Starliner's prolonged stay at the International Space Station (ISS), a mission originally planned to include a crewed return.
The Starliner is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 3:34 am IST on September 6, with a planned landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico after a six-hour descent, pending favorable weather and technical conditions.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who travelled to the ISS aboard Starliner, will stay on the station and are set to return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025.
The decision to return Starliner without a crew was made due to performance issues during its mission, including helium leaks and thruster failures, which raised safety concerns for a crewed return.
NASA emphasized its commitment to safety in making this decision, with Administrator Bill Nelson highlighting the agency's dedication to ensuring the well-being of its astronauts.
Despite the uncrewed return, NASA views the mission as an opportunity to gather valuable data that will help improve Starliner's systems for future missions. This will be Starliner's third landing at White Sands, following two previous uncrewed test flights.