NASA confirms departure date for Boeing's spacecraft that stranded astronauts

NASA has Boeing have officially announced when the Starliner capsule that transported NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) in June for what was meant to be a week-long stay, will leave the ISS for its return journey back to Earth.

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The Starliner capsule has a tumultuous existence to say the least as Boeing has endured numerous delays with the initial development, costing the company exorbitant amounts of money, only to now be faced with new problems that will likely amount to even more money in brand damage. In short, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft had a few leaks prior to launch but was cleared by NASA and Boeing.

Upon arrival at the ISS additional leaks were detected and after a lengthy investigation that has spanned several months, NASA has determined along with the guidance of Boeing that Starliner doesn't meet the safety requirements to transport the two NASA astronauts back to Earth. NASA and Boeing have downplayed the way the situation is being described, saying the astronauts aren't technically stranded as there are viable methods of transportation docked at the ISS, and the ISS carries enough resources to support the astronauts' stay.

However, Boeing's Starliner mission has catastrophically failed, and from the perspective of Boeing and Starliner it has left the two astronauts stranded, only to rescued by competing space-fairing company SpaceX and it's Dragon capsule. Furthermore, Starliner has turned what was originally meant to be a one week stay aboard the ISS into a multi-month mission that won't see Butch and Wilmore leave the ISS until February 2025 - at the earliest.

"After undocking, Starliner will take about six hours to reach the landing zone at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The spacecraft will touch down about 12:03 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, descending under parachutes and with inflated airbags to cushion the impact. Recovery teams at the landing zone will safe and prepare the spacecraft for a return to Boeing's Starliner factory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida," writes NASA