Boeing's Starliner is set to return to Earth without its crew in New Mexico - how to watch
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. It's returning to earth on Sept. 6. (NASA/Kim Shiflett)
Boeing's Starliner capsule is set for its return to Earth tonight.
It's en route to New Mexico now with no astronauts on board.
The hope is that this landing goes a lot smoother than the test flight, which left Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Co-Pilot Sunita Williams up in space and that analysis determines what went wrong with the capsule.
"It'll be great if we can get it back in one piece because then we can diagnose it and figure out exactly what was going wrong," said Dr. Jim Rice of ASU's Space Technology and Science Initiative.
One issue was a series of helium leaks where seals on the spacecraft broke.
After a problematic mission, Boeing’s Starliner capsule finally has approval to return to our home planet.
NASA is streaming the entire landing live:
Rice says the capsule will be gently lowered to the surface using heat shields and parachutes.
"It'll be really warm when it lands and then recovery crews will go out there. They may wait a while because these things give off some real noxious gases, these fumes that can be really toxic," said Rice.
The two astronauts staying behind in space still had access to the capsule before it was sealed, and one actually reported hearing an odd sound in the capsule the other day.
Rice says there is no concern.
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"The space station has a real complex sound system. You have different spacecraft connected to it, and it was kind of a weird sound but NASA put out an official statement that it was just simply feedback and nothing of any concern," Rice said.
As for any space enthusiasts hoping to catch a glimpse of the landing, Rice said it’s not a guaranteed sighting in Arizona.
"I’m gonna go out and look for it but I haven’t seen any trajectory maps of exactly where to look. I mean obviously, look to the east since we’re west of New Mexico, but I don’t know how high it’ll be above the horizon for you to be able to see it but it might be visible," he said.
Williams and Wilmore are expected to return home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry ship in February.