NASA reveals timing for Boeing Starliner return to Earth without astronaut Sunita Williams onboard

NASA has announced the timeline for the return of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which will make its journey back to Earth without astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on board.

The uncrewed Starliner is scheduled to depart from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, September 6, and is expected to land early Saturday morning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The Starliner capsule is set to autonomously undock from the ISS at approximately 6:04 p.m. EDT (3:34 a.m. IST, September 7) on September 6, beginning its descent to Earth.

The spacecraft is expected to touch down at around 12:03 a.m. EDT (9:33 a.m. IST, September 7) on September 7, marking the conclusion of its flight test.

NASA has planned extensive live coverage of these events, available on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, weather permitting.

Ahead of Starliner’s return, NASA will host a pre-departure news conference on Wednesday, September 4, at 12 p.m. EDT (9:30 p.m. IST).

The conference, held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will feature key figures from NASA’s Commercial Crew and International Space Station Programs, as well as a flight director. The event will be streamed live.