Boeing's Starliner finally returns to Earth empty - leaving two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station until February

Boeing's Starliner has returned to Earth empty after leaving two astronauts who rode the spaceship up to the International Space Station stranded until next year. Boeing and NASA teams working around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands, New Mexico, on Saturday Boeing's Starliner lands at the landing site at White Sands Space Harbor in White Sands, New Mexico Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were initially planned to depart on the Starliner, but issues with the capsule's thrusters have delayed their return until at least February 2025 Ground teams reported hearing sonic booms as it streaked red hot across the night sky, having endured temperatures of 3,000F during atmospheric reentry. Starliner capsule fires its thrusters as it pulls away from the International Space Station on Friday, September 6 The gumdrop-shaped capsule touched down softly at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, its descent slowed by parachutes and cushioned by airbags Shortly after undocking, Starliner executed a powerful 'breakout burn' to swiftly clear it from the station and prevent any risk of collision - a maneuver that would have been unnecessary if crew were aboard to take manual control if needed. The space capsule touched down at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico today at approximately 4am GMT, around six hours after departing the ISS on Friday Boeing and NASA teams working around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed at White Sands, New Mexico A full timeline of Boeing's Starliner program, from the singing of their massive contact to the incident that left two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS In 2019, during its first uncrewed test flight, a software glitch prevented the capsule from rendezvousing with the ISS.