The undocking took place at 6:04 p.m. EST, and NASA streamed the event live on its website. After the successful undocking, the live commentary declared, “OK, she’s on her way home.” Although the capsule safely returned, it did so without the astronauts who had been aboard the mission.
NASA announced on August 24 that astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams would not be returning to Earth on Starliner. Instead, they will be returning on SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft. The duo is expected to remain aboard the ISS until February 2025.
NASA Astronauts Remain on the ISS
Wilmore and Williams were part of the first crewed test flight of Starliner, which launched on June 5. Originally intended to be a short, one-week mission, the astronauts were supposed to return on the same spacecraft. However, due to persistent technical issues, their mission was extended.
Starliner is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, designed to test the viability of Boeing’s spacecraft for routine missions to and from the ISS.
