Boeing's Starliner Lands on Earth Sans Astronauts

Facts

• Boeing's Starliner capsule returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) at 12:01 am ET on Saturday without NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore.^[1]
• The uncrewed spacecraft traveled in autonomous mode for about six hours before it deployed parachutes for a slow descent and gentle touch-down at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.^[2]
• Launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, this was the first test flight for the Starliner with astronauts on board.^[3]
• As the spacecraft approached the ISS for its eight-day mission, it experienced helium leaks, while five of its 28 reaction control thrusters malfunctioned.^[4]
• NASA extended Starliner's orbital stay for three months, giving mission engineers at Boeing and NASA time to analyze and troubleshoot the technical issues, both in space and on the ground.^[5]
• However, the US space agency decided to fly the capsule back without its crew, concluding it wasn't safe enough to bring Williams and Wilmore home. The astronauts will stay aboard the ISS and return on a SpaceX capsule in February.^[6]

Sources: ^[1]CNN, ^[2]BBC News, ^[3]NASA, ^[4]Al Jazeera, ^[5]Space.com and ^[6]New York Post.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by NDTV.com. Instead of NASA astronauts, the Starliner has returned with empty seats and blue spacesuits. Though its landing was flawless, its eight-day mission wasn't. Boeing's reputation had already been battered by safety concerns affecting its passenger jets, yet NASA trusted it to develop spacecraft to taxi astronauts to and from the ISS. Saturday's uneventful touch-down may salvage some pride, but the mission has already embarrassed Boeing and jeopardized the aerospace giant's status in space.
• Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post. Boeing isn't responsible for stranding Williams and Wilmore in space, and it's not unusual to encounter obstacles on a test flight. Though there were some issues, the Starliner had a successful and safe undocking, deorbit, re-entry, and bull's eye landing. Given the concerns about the spacecraft and doubts about its on-the-ground modeling, it was a challenging yet right decision to fly the capsule home without the astronauts. Contrary to criticisms, the Starliner's safe and clean return demonstrates that Boeing has arrived as a major player in the space industry.
• Narrative C, as provided by Econlib. Rather than solving problems on Earth, the world's great powers and multiple private companies have shifted their competition into space — a dangerous trend driven by the intent to dominate and monopolize space travel for commercial purposes. Additionally, while such missions open the door for accessible commercial space exploration, the interdependence of the civil, commercial, and national security space sectors is dangerous and could lead to disastrous, irreversible consequences.

Predictions