Boeing Released What Happened To Starliner During Return Mission!

After months of ongoing issues and multiple delays, Boeing made the decision to bring the Starliner back to Earth without the astronauts onboard—and they did just that. The spacecraft landed safely, and at first glance, everything appeared to have gone smoothly. Many people even congratulated Boeing, with some suggesting that they could have successfully returned the astronauts with Starliner. But we were wrong. Despite the seemingly flawless landing, it became clear there were serious problems during the return mission. Multiple thruster failures, navigation system glitches, and overheating occurred, casting doubt on whether the spacecraft is truly ready for crewed missions.

While the capsule managed to land successfully at White Sands, New Mexico, NASA’s decision not to carry astronauts aboard due to the risks turned out to be wise.
One of the main problems during Starliner's return was the overheating of its thrusters, which poses a significant risk, especially if astronauts were aboard. The overheating occurred because the design of the "doghouse"—a compartment that holds the thrusters—traps heat, acting like a thermal insulator. This caused higher-than-expected temperatures, which in turn led to thruster malfunctions. During the reentry, some of the thrusters failed, and while the spacecraft was able to compensate using backup thrusters, this wouldn't be ideal with humans onboard.
If astronauts were inside, the overheating could be life-threatening. Thrusters are critical for the deorbit burn, a maneuver that ensures the spacecraft reenters the atmosphere at the right angle. If the thrusters malfunction during this phase, the spacecraft could lose control, leading to a dangerous descent. Additionally, overheating could damage internal components or even raise temperatures inside the capsule, making the environment unsafe for the crew.
NASA engineers noted that during tests, some thrusters experienced temperatures so high that Teflon seals expanded, blocking propellant flow and reducing thrust power. Typically, these seals are designed to work under precise conditions, and once temperatures rise above safe levels—likely around 200 Celsius or higher—their performance becomes unpredictable. Even during the return mission, several thrusters underperformed due to this overheating issue, prompting NASA to focus on resolving this for future flights.

Keywords:-
Starliner technical problems,Starliner helium leaks,Starliner thruster failures,Starliner impact on ISS missions,Starliner docking issues,NASA Starliner controversy,financial losses from Starliner delays,Boeing Starliner project challenges,Starliner impact on Crew-9 launch,NASA reconsidering Starliner contracts,Starliner uncrewed return possibility,ISS schedule disruptions due to Starliner

[davidrounds]

Boeing did not make the decision not to bring the astronauts back. NASA made that decision; Boeing was arguing for putting them in that capsule. NASA saved their lives. Boeings concern was how it would look to have SpaceX go save them.

[edwardcdg]

If Boeing would put executives in the test launches, reliability would improve dramatically. 😅

[davidsusak]

The thruster overheating issue should had been caught years ago during the design phase.

[waynedrummond]

"Casting doubt the starliner is ready for crewed missions?" What doubt. The mission failed in so many facets it is an unequivocal failure for missions be they crewed or unmanned.

[RonP-utcr]

NASA should fix the issue by dumping Boeing.

[TwoBassed]

Like the way Boing states ‘crew safety is their number one priority’ but decided to launch irrespective of the leaks already detected prior to the launch.

[yoyohighness]

If Boeing can not fathom the basic safety of an airliner, it should not be allowed to build space ship. Its that simple.

[tomlagoe]

I'm surprised the door didn't come off!

[matice]

Starliner is a complete waste of time and money.

[hwica]

I'm sure everything can be fixed by giving Boeing execs bigger bonuses.

[garysnewjob]

Boeing: Not your grandparents' aerospace company. 😢

[gregsiska]

Boeing to NASA: Throw more money at us and we'll fix it...

[garystrankman]

The starliner was supposed to be built for ISS trips. It’s 2024 and the ISS is toast in 2030 why do they even need this thing now??

[bearlemley]

So glad NASA Awarded more than 60% more money to Boeing to do the same job that SpaceX got.

[possumj]

Cancel the starliner program. And cancel boeing.

[DaveBigDawg]

Hopefully any fix is on Boeing dime and not the taxpayers

[garybulwinkle]

The shear number of thrusters raises questions. Their reliability is another!

[CliveN-yrgv]

I am minded of two sayings by great people: "Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is a sign of insanity, " and "Hope is not a strategy."

[cruzin]

For all crewed missions, Boeing needs to add additional safety measures by equipping the Starliner with JB Weld and duct tape.

[feral]

It looks like Boeing's management has wanted to go cheap from the get-go, instead of doing it right in the first place, THEN deciding where and how to cut production costs.