Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIf mission managers decide a spacecraft is too uncertain or unsafe to bring back with astronauts aboard, they may send it home empty while the crew stays on a space station or uses another planned ride. NASA did this with Boeing’s Starliner in 2024: the spacecraft returned uncrewed, while its astronauts later returned aboard a SpaceX Dragon.
What happened on Starliner’s 2024 test flight
NASA announced on August 24, 2024, that Starliner would return without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They would remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and later return on a different spacecraft. NASA made the decision after reviewing uncertainty about Starliner’s systems and its expected performance during return.
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As Starliner approached the station, NASA and Boeing had identified helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft’s reaction-control thrusters. They reviewed flight data, carried out flight and ground testing, consulted propulsion experts, and developed return contingencies. NASA said the remaining uncertainty, and the lack of expert concurrence, did not meet its safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight.
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How an uncrewed return works
Uncrewed does not mean uncontrolled
“Uncrewed” means there are no astronauts aboard for that trip. It does not, by itself, mean the vehicle is abandoned or flying without oversight. NASA described Starliner as designed for autonomous operation and its planned trip as a controlled autonomous re-entry and landing. NASA describes Dragon as fully autonomous, while also saying it can be monitored and controlled by onboard crew and SpaceX mission control. These are descriptions of those particular systems, not a guarantee that every spacecraft can return in the same way.
The spacecraft follows its own return plan
In broad terms, a spacecraft separates from its docking location, carries out its planned departure and deorbit operations, re-enters the atmosphere, and lands using its designed recovery system. Starliner landed in New Mexico. Dragon is designed for water landings; NASA describes site selection and recovery operations for those landings. The exact sequence and recovery method depend on the vehicle and mission.
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The crew needs a separate safe plan
Sending a spacecraft home empty resolves only the vehicle’s return decision; it does not answer how the astronauts will get home. In the Starliner case, NASA kept Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS and planned for them to return on Crew-9 Dragon. Before Crew-9 arrived, NASA’s FAQ said Dragon supporting Crew-8 was configured as an emergency return spacecraft for them. That was a contingency option, distinct from the later planned return.
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It is a risk judgment, not an automatic response to any fault. NASA said that uncertainty about Starliner’s helium and propulsion systems meant it could not accept more risk than necessary for the astronauts. A vehicle’s ability to operate autonomously does not establish that carrying people through the same return is acceptable: a crewed flight must meet human-safety requirements.
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NASA also said that returning Starliner without a crew would allow the agency and Boeing to gather test data and inform future corrective actions. That was NASA’s stated rationale for this test flight; it should not be treated as a universal rule for all spacecraft or failures.
What determines whether the crew can stay or needs another ride?
Mission managers have to consider the vehicle’s condition alongside the crew’s options. Relevant questions include:
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- Can this spacecraft perform its return sequence autonomously, and what monitoring or control is available?
- How much uncertainty remains in propulsion, navigation, and other systems needed for the return?
- Does the vehicle meet the safety threshold for carrying people, not merely for returning empty?
- Can the crew remain safely at its current location, and is another spacecraft or contingency ride available?
- What landing and recovery conditions are planned for the spacecraft and, separately, for the crew?
NASA’s Starliner account documents the propulsion uncertainty, autonomous return plan, alternate crew ride, and landing arrangements. It does not establish a general ranking of spacecraft or a comparative safety rate for crewed versus uncrewed returns.
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What the Starliner decision does—and does not—show
It shows that, when a spacecraft’s design and mission plan permit it, the vehicle and its crew can have different return plans. NASA chose to bring Starliner home empty because it judged the unresolved uncertainty unacceptable for carrying Wilmore and Williams on that return. It does not show that Starliner was certain to fail, that the uncrewed flight was risk-free, or that every crew spacecraft can safely return without its astronauts.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson described the decision on August 24, 2024, as a commitment to safety, saying that spaceflight is risky and a test flight is neither safe nor routine. No comparative safety probability follows from this single mission; the dates are mission facts, not a general measure of risk.
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