Boeings Beleaguered Space Capsule Is Heading Back To Earth Without Two Nasa Astronauts

## Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft to Return Without Astronauts Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which has faced numerous setbacks, is expected to return to Earth on Wednesday, December 14th, without the two NASA astronauts who were originally scheduled to fly on it. The spacecraft will splash down off the coast of San Diego after a six-month stay at the International Space Station. Starliner was launched on a test flight last May, but a software glitch prevented it from reaching the space station. The spacecraft was forced to return to Earth prematurely, and NASA has been working to fix the problem ever since. In October, Boeing announced that it would send Starliner back to the space station on an uncrewed test flight in March of 2023. However, NASA has now decided to cancel that mission and instead focus on preparing Starliner for a crewed flight in late 2023 or early 2024. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution." He said that NASA wants to be sure that Starliner is safe before putting astronauts on board. Boeing has been criticized for the delays and setbacks that have plagued the Starliner program. However, Nelson said that he is confident that Boeing will eventually be able to safely fly astronauts to the space station. "Boeing is a great American company with a long history of success in space," Nelson said. "I am confident that they will get Starliner to the point where it is safe to fly astronauts."