ALBAWABA - NASA has verified that the Starliner spacecraft, owned by Boeing, has safely returned to Earth without any crew members on board after being trapped at the International Space Station due to a problem.
The return of the Starliner capsule, which was carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, was announced by NASA. The spaceship, which had been stuck since June due to mechanical difficulties, returned to Earth automatically.
After being launched from the International Space Station, the capsule made a safe landing at White Sands Space Harbor in the United States state of New Mexico.
Following two prior delays, Boeing launched the Starliner capsule on June 5, which was its maiden flight to ferry NASA astronauts. Nevertheless, a helium leak was found, and in spite of extensive examinations, the issue's origin was still unknown. Thereafter, there were four delays in the spacecraft's return.
NASA said that Wilmore and Williams will stay in orbit until February 2025, extending what was originally planned to be a one-week test trip to nearly eight months, due to the hazards involved in sending the astronauts down in the malfunctioning capsule.
