[Tee tiong huat]

Boeing Starliner returns to Earth without a crew as NASA flags new issues. Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner made its long-awaited return to Earth on Saturday without the astronauts who rode it up to the International Space Station, after NASA ruled the trip back too risky. A 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 rotate crew to and from the orbital laboratory.

But unexpected thruster malfunctions and helium leaks en route to the ISS derailed those plans, and NASA ultimately decided it was safer to bring crewmates Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back on a rival SpaceX Crew Dragon — though they’ll have to wait until February 2025. 

The gumdrop-shaped Boeing capsule touched down softly at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico 0401 GMT Saturday, its descent slowed by parachutes cushioned by airbags, departed ISS around 6-hours earlier.As it streaked red-hot across night sky, ground teams reported hearing sonic booms. Spacecraft endured temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius) during atmospheric reentry.
https://fortune.com/2024/09/07/boeing-st...-musk-iss/