NASA announced on Saturday that Boeing’s Starliner successfully landed in New Mexico, even though its crew is still on the International Space Station ISS.
The Starliner touched down at 12 a.m. ET at White Sands Space Harbor, completing Boeing’s crew flight test.
The two test pilots, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, are still in space. NASA decided it was too risky to bring them back immediately, so they will return in February.
Boeing launched the delayed mission in early June. The flight was postponed several times due to thruster failures and helium leaks. When the Starliner tried to dock with the ISS, five of its 28 thrusters failed.
What was supposed to be an eight-day mission turned into several months as engineers worked to fix the issues. Although Boeing believed the Starliner was safe enough to bring the pilots back, NASA decided it was best to keep them in space.
Williams and Wilmore have been busy on the ISS, working on repairs and experiments. SpaceX is set to launch a mission in late September, with two seats reserved for Williams and Wilmore on the return flight in February.
This situation is a setback for Boeing, which has been eager to enter the commercial space industry. Boeing’s vice president and program manager, Mark Nappi, said the company will review the situation and decide the next steps for the program.
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