Boeing Starliner, Returning Without Astronauts Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore, Makes A Safe Landing On Earth

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth after an uncrewed mission to the ISS, marking a significant milestone for the company's commercial space flight plans.

Starliner Return: Boeing's Starliner spacecraft finally returned to Earth, making a safe landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Saturday morning. As decided by NASA and Boeing, which kept the safety of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in mind, the spacecraft was brought back uncrewed. The first crew test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was originally intended to be a 10-day mission, but it got extended after engineers detected helium leaks and other issues in it.  

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will now return aboard a SpaceX capsule in February 2025. Earlier, the undocking of the spacecraft from the space station began on Friday at 6.04 pm EDT (3:34 am IST, Saturday, September 7), as scheduled, after mission managers conducted all operational and weather checks. It landed in around six hours' time.

A successful landing of the spacecraft was crucial for Boeing's plans to operate commercial space flights in future.    

During its descent, the Starliner spacecraft entered a blackout period for four and a half minutes, during which ground controllers were not able to make contact with the vehicle. However, this was business as usual for spacecraft returning from orbit, as a vehicle returns from space — hitting the thick of Earth’s atmosphere while still travelling many times faster than the speed of sound — the pressure and friction cause extreme heating. That creates a build-up of plasma that can briefly block communication equipment.

The spacecraft, nicknamed Calypso, hit terra firma at 11:01 a.m. (Central Time). Three large parachutes and airbags softened its touchdown. The spacecraft has made it “safely back to the desert floor,” said NASA’s webcast hosts.

Starliner Undocking And Landing Steps Explained  

1. Deorbit Burn

Starliner executes a 60-second deorbit burn to slow down and re-enter Earth's atmosphere. This burn commits the spacecraft to its targeted landing site.

2. Service Module Disposal

After the deorbit burn, Starliner repositioned to separate the service module, which burns up during re-entry over the southern Pacific Ocean.

3. Re-entry Process

The command module manoeuvers into re-entry position after service module separation. Plasma buildup occurs during re-entry, potentially causing a communication blackout for about four minutes. Temperatures during re-entry can reach up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Parachute Deployment

At 30,000 feet, the forward heatshield is jettisoned, exposing two drogue and three main parachutes. These parachutes slow the spacecraft further.

5. Heatshield and Landing Bags

At 3,000 feet, the base heatshield is jettisoned, allowing six landing bags to inflate. The spacecraft touches down at approximately 4 mph.

6. Landing Team Approach

The NASA and Boeing landing and recovery team is positioned near the landing site. A sequence of five teams approaches the spacecraft post-landing:

Gold Team: First to approach, they "sniff" for any remaining hypergolic fuels and cover the thrusters.

Silver Team: Grounds and stabilises the spacecraft electrically.

Green Team: Supplies power and cooling to the crew module.

Blue Team: Documents the recovery for public dissemination and future review.

Red Team: Opens the hatch and includes Boeing fire rescue, emergency medical technicians, and human factors engineers.

7. Cargo Unloading and Spacecraft Transfer

The recovery team unloads time-critical cargo. Starliner is transferred to Boeing facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for refurbishment ahead of its next flight.