Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner did reach orbit and dock with the International Space Station on its first crewed flight in June 2024. But helium leaks and thruster failures complicated the mission, and NASA ultimately sent the spacecraft back to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. The phrase “finally manages to limp off the Earth” was Futurism’s sarcastic headline—not NASA’s technical description.
What happened on Starliner’s first crewed flight?
NASA’s Crew Flight Test was intended to validate Starliner and its launch system as an end-to-end way to carry astronauts: launch, spacecraft operations, navigation, docking, and return. Successful completion was meant to support NASA’s decision on whether to certify the spacecraft for regular crew flights to the ISS. NASA described the flight as a test of the full transportation system (NASA’s mission overview).
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V launched Starliner from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:52 a.m. EDT on June 5, 2024. Wilmore and Williams were the first astronauts to fly aboard the spacecraft. Starliner docked with the ISS at 1:34 p.m. EDT on June 6 (NASA launch record; NASA docking report).
What went wrong with Starliner?
Helium leaks in the propulsion system
Starliner uses helium to pressurize its propulsion system. A leak was known before launch, and more were identified after the spacecraft reached orbit. NASA’s June 6 docking report recorded three helium leaks by the time Starliner arrived at the station. Later updates described additional service-module leaks, so the three-leak count reflects the situation reported at docking, not necessarily the final count.
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Thrusters stopped firing during approach
During rendezvous, five reaction-control-system thrusters failed off. Hot-fire tests restored four, and the spacecraft retained enough capability to continue. The crew also manually piloted Starliner during a hold point before docking, while teams assessed its performance (NASA’s docking report).
Before launch, as the teams discussed a known helium leak, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich told Futurism, “we can handle this particular leak if that leak rate were to grow even up to 100 times.” That was a statement about the specific leak being discussed before the flight; it should not be read as a later NASA finding about all the leaks or the spacecraft’s return readiness (Futurism’s contemporaneous report).
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Why didn’t the astronauts return on Starliner?
After months of tests and reviews of the propulsion system, NASA concluded in August 2024 that it did not have enough confidence in Starliner for a crewed return. It chose to bring the spacecraft home uncrewed and reassign Wilmore and Williams to return on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission (NASA’s decision announcement).
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How did Starliner and its crew get back to Earth?
Starliner undocked from the ISS on September 6, 2024, and landed uncrewed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 7, according to NASA’s FY2024 report (NASA FY2024 annual report). NASA initially planned for Wilmore and Williams to return with Crew-9 in February 2025; later mission records place their return in March 2025 (NASA’s announcement; NASA Crew-9 mission record).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why did Starliner take so long to launch?
The wording “finally manages to limp off the Earth” came from Futurism and conveys impatience with the long development path before Starliner’s first crewed launch. It is commentary, not a NASA description of the flight. The available mission records establish that the crewed launch took place on June 5, 2024, after earlier development and test problems, but they do not support a single delay count or a detailed explanation of every cause. What they do show is that the launch was only one part of the certification test: NASA also needed confidence in the spacecraft’s operation and safe return with astronauts.
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