Boeing’s Starliner capsule landed safely in New Mexico without the astronauts who launched aboard it. The spacecraft autonomously undocked from the International Space Station on September 6, 2024, completed reentry and touched down at White Sands Space Harbor at 10:01 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.
That was a successful uncrewed return—but it was not a successful completion of the original crewed flight-test objective. NASA had decided that helium leaks and reaction-control-thruster problems created too much uncertainty to accept the risk of bringing Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home inside Starliner.
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The capsule came home alone
Starliner launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5, 2024, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. It reached the space station the following day.
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On August 24, NASA ordered Starliner to return without its crew. The capsule later undocked autonomously at approximately 6:04 p.m. Eastern Time on September 6 and landed several hours later in New Mexico.
“Lonely return” describes the unusual image, not a loss of control. Flight controllers commanded and monitored the spacecraft, while Starliner executed its programmed undocking, deorbit, atmospheric entry and landing sequence.
Why NASA left the astronauts aboard the ISS
NASA did not announce that a crewed return was certain to fail. Its decision reflected a different human-spaceflight standard: the agency did not have enough confidence in how the propulsion system would behave during an astronaut-bearing return.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteHelium is used to pressurize portions of Starliner’s propulsion system. Multiple small leaks were detected in helium manifolds, while some reaction-control thrusters behaved abnormally during the approach to the station. Although Starliner regained control and docked, the combined uncertainty was central to NASA’s risk assessment.
NASA and Boeing performed extensive testing and analysis, but the evidence did not produce the level of expert concurrence required for a crewed reentry. Returning the vehicle empty allowed teams to gather additional performance data without exposing the astronauts to the disputed propulsion risk. NASA’s decision is documented in its August 2024 announcement.
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This is why “Starliner was unsafe” is too broad, while “NASA judged the uncertainty unacceptable for a crewed return” is more precise.
Was the landing successful?
Yes—operationally. Starliner completed the major steps required for an uncrewed trip home:
- autonomous undocking from the ISS;
- deorbit and atmospheric entry;
- parachute-assisted descent; and
- landing intact at White Sands Space Harbor.
NASA and Boeing recovered the capsule for examination and data analysis. Starliner did not burn up or disappear, and its thrusters did not all fail. The issue involved anomalous behavior by several reaction-control thrusters and uncertainty about the wider propulsion system.
But a safe landing should not be confused with a successful crewed certification test. The spacecraft returned without the people it was supposed to carry home. NASA therefore still had to determine whether Starliner met the agency’s requirements for routine astronaut transportation.
What happened to Wilmore and Williams?
The astronauts remained aboard the ISS, where they joined the station’s ongoing expedition work. Their planned return vehicle was changed, and NASA assigned their trip home to SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon mission.
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Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in March 2025. Their originally planned short-duration test therefore became a stay of approximately nine months.
“Stranded” is understandable shorthand for the dramatic change, but it can imply that the astronauts had no viable support or return plan. NASA maintained contingency arrangements, and the astronauts continued their station duties while awaiting Crew-9.
What Starliner had—and had not—demonstrated
| Demonstrated by the 2024 return | Not demonstrated |
|---|---|
| Autonomous undocking and flight-home procedures | Readiness for routine crew rotations |
| Uncrewed deorbit, entry and landing | That propulsion anomalies were fully understood |
| Performance data from the propulsion, software, thermal-protection and landing systems | That the vehicle met all human-rating and certification requirements |
| NASA and Boeing’s ability to manage a complex contingency | That the crewed-return risk was acceptable |
Starliner’s 2024 flight was also not its first orbital return. The spacecraft had completed the uncrewed OFT-1 mission in 2019 and OFT-2 in 2022. Its significance came from carrying astronauts to the ISS for the first time, even though it ultimately returned empty. NASA’s Starliner FAQ provides the mission timeline and vehicle background.
The technical problems in plain English
Helium leaks
Starliner uses helium to pressurize propellant systems. Leaks in the service-module helium manifolds raised questions about how much pressure would remain available and how the system would behave during the demanding return sequence.
Reaction-control thrusters
Reaction-control thrusters provide the small movements needed to orient and maneuver the spacecraft. Several showed abnormal performance during rendezvous. The vehicle retained control, but the anomalies made it harder to predict how the system would respond under crewed-return conditions.
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Why uncertainty mattered
Spacecraft certification is not based only on whether a vehicle can complete a particular maneuver once. NASA must understand failure modes, demonstrate adequate margins and reach sufficient confidence that the same system can protect astronauts across expected operating conditions.
NASA’s landing-criteria timeline explains how the agency evaluated the return sequence and landing options.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What later investigations found
Later findings should not be treated as though they were fully known on landing night. In February 2026, NASA released its investigation of the crewed flight test and classified the event as a Type A mishap, citing the loss of maneuverability during the approach to the station and the potential for a significant accident.
The investigation attributed the risk conditions to an interaction of hardware failures, qualification gaps, leadership errors and cultural breakdowns. That broader assessment goes beyond the immediate helium and thruster symptoms observed during the flight.
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The classification does not mean every part of the mission failed. It reflects the seriousness of the hazard and the potential consequences, even though Starliner docked and later landed safely without crew. NASA’s announcement is available in its investigation report summary.
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Starliner’s status as of 2026
As of August 18, 2026, Starliner remained uncertified for routine crewed missions. A June 2026 NASA Office of Inspector General review said unresolved helium-leak and propulsion-system issues continued to affect certification, and that the schedule for completing the required testing remained uncertain.
NASA and Boeing had targeted an uncrewed Starliner-1 cargo mission for no earlier than April 2026, subject to readiness and testing work. That target should not be mistaken for confirmation that the mission launched. The OIG’s audit page summarizes the program’s certification issues.
Starliner was not established as permanently canceled by the cited sources. Its future depended on resolving the propulsion, helium and wider certification concerns—not simply repeating a landing that had already succeeded uncrewed.
The clearest verdict
Starliner came home safely, autonomously and without astronauts. That was a meaningful operational achievement and produced valuable test data.
But the defining decision of the flight happened before landing: NASA determined that the spacecraft had not earned enough confidence to bring Wilmore and Williams home. The capsule completed its physical journey to Earth; the crewed flight test did not demonstrate that Starliner was ready for routine human missions.
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