NASA gives green light to Boeing Starliner’s return, without crew

The update added that after undocking from the International Space Station (ISS), the aircraft will take “approximately six hours to reach the landing zone at White Sands Spaceport in New Mexico,” landing at midnight on September 7.

After it lands, recovery teams will prepare for its return to Boeing’s Starliner factory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to the update.

The announcement came shortly after NASA decided the craft was not suitable to bring NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth.

The duo have been on the ISS since Starliner docked there on June 6.

The mission, which was to test Starliner’s capabilities for commercial space travel, was scheduled to last eight to ten days. Its return was delayed several times due to problems with the aircraft’s thrusters.

Since then, both have joined the ISS crew, performing tests on the Starliner, conducting scientific experiments on the ISS, and even helping with maintenance tasks.

They are now scheduled to return via SpaceX Crew Dragon in February 2025. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained the decision to bring back Starliner uncrewed during a news conference Saturday at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“Spaceflight is risky,” he said. “Even in its safest, even its most routine forms. A test flight, by its nature, is neither safe nor routine. So the decision to keep Butch and Suni on board the International Space Station and bring home the Boeing Starliner uncrewed is the result of a commitment to safety.”

NASA representatives did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.