Starliner Safely Returns; Two Astronauts to Come Back in 2025 | WPN World People News

Boeing's spacecraft "Starliner" successfully landed safely in the desert of New Mexico, U.S., on the 6th Eastern Time (7th Taiwan Time), marking the end of a three-month test mission. However, the two U.S. astronauts who were originally scheduled to return to Earth with the spacecraft will now be delayed until February next year, when SpaceX's "Crew Dragon" spacecraft will bring them back due to technical issues.

The main participants of this mission are astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams. They boarded Boeing's "Starliner" on June 5, 2024, heading to the International Space Station (ISS). However, during the flight, the spacecraft encountered a propulsion system failure and a helium leak, prompting NASA to postpone their return to Earth to avoid unnecessary risks.

During the return process of the "Starliner," the technical team continuously monitored its status. Although it eventually re-entered Earth's atmosphere and successfully landed, Boeing representatives did not attend the return press conference held by NASA. NASA disclosed that the spacecraft still faced some new issues during re-entry, including propulsion failure and a brief malfunction in the navigation system.

Due to these technical flaws, NASA decided to delay the return of the two astronauts, with plans for them to return to Earth aboard SpaceX's "Crew Dragon" in February 2025. The two astronauts will remain on the ISS to continue their mission, extending what was originally an 8-day mission to 8 months.

With the successful return of the "Starliner," Boeing and NASA will begin evaluating the spacecraft's design and operational models and will make subsequent adjustments, aiming to ensure the safety and stability of future crewed missions. Boeing is expected to conduct another flight test in August 2025, but it is still uncertain whether it will carry personnel. NASA stated that further analysis of the data gathered is needed before making a final decision.

The competition between Boeing and SpaceX in the space exploration field has once again become a focal point. Although Boeing's progress in the crewed spacecraft domain has been slower, NASA remains confident in Boeing's future crewed plans.