Boeing's beleaguered Starliner back home empty

Washington: Boeing s beleaguered Starliner returned to Earth empty Saturday after NASA deemed it too risky to bring home the astronauts who rode the s...

Washington: Boeing's beleaguered Starliner returned to Earth empty Saturday after NASA deemed it too risky to bring home the astronauts who rode the spaceship up to the International Space Station.

After years of delays, Starliner launched in June for what was meant to be a roughly weeklong test mission -- a final shakedown before it could be certified to ferry crew to and from the orbital laboratory.

But unexpected thruster malfunctions and helium leaks on its way up derailed those plans, and NASA ultimately decided it was safer to bring Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back on a rival SpaceX Crew Dragon -- though they'll have to wait until February 2025.

The gumdrop-shaped capsule touched down softly at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at approximately 0401 GMT, its descent slowed by parachutes and cushioned by airbags, having departed the ISS around six hours earlier.

Ground teams reported hearing sonic booms as it streaked red hot across the night sky, having endured temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius) during atmospheric reentry.