Boeing Starliner will return this week with no astronauts

The Boeing Starliner space capsule that lost NASA officials’ confidence to safely bring home two astronauts will begin its return from orbit with no crew Friday and, if all goes well, parachute to a landing in New Mexico early Saturday.

But even a successful landing will be something of a hollow victory. The last leg of the groundbreaking mission would conclude a test flight that strained relations between Boeing and NASA and raised questions about when the Starliner will become fully operational.

The spacecraft’s return without Wilmore and Williams represents a stinging loss for Boeing, which had hoped the test flight would lead to regular operational missions for the spacecraft. But because the Starliner experienced thruster problems and helium leaks as it brought the pair up to the space station, NASA deemed the complete round trip with crew too risky. Now Boeing will have to continue to run tests on the Starliner on the ground before it can be fully certified for future crewed flights, NASA officials said.