Houston: Boeing's beleaguered Starliner returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) without astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry E Wilmore. The capsule landed gently at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, its descent slowed by parachutes and cushioned by airbags, having departed the ISS around six hours earlier.
After years of delays, Starliner launched in June for what was meant to be a roughly weeklong test mission - a final shakedown before it could be certified to ferry crew to and from the orbital laboratory.
But unexpected thruster malfunctions and helium leaks on its way up derailed those plans, and NASA ultimately decided it was safer to bring Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back on a rival SpaceX Crew Dragon - though they'll have to wait until February 2025.
Ground teams reported hearing sonic booms as it streaked red hot across the night sky, having endured temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius) during atmospheric reentry.
A smooth, uneventful ride was seen as critical not only for salvaging some pride but also for Boeing's prospects of achieving certification in the future.
The century-old aerospace giant had carried out extensive ground testing aimed at replicating the technical issues the spaceship had experienced on its ascent and devised plans to prevent more problems.
With its reputation already battered by safety concerns affecting its passenger jets, Boeing made assurances in public and in private that it could be trusted to bring the astronauts home - an assessment not shared by NASA.
