The eventful Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission crewed by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has reached a point where a decision has now been made to return the astronauts home on Crew Dragon Freedom. This comes after the CFT mission stretched from the initial “soft” planning for eight days to spending two and a half months aboard the International Space Station, and the CFT crew will now stay in orbit for eight months.
The Boeing Starliner, Calypso, launched successfully into orbit atop an Atlas V N22 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) on June 6, 2024. However, during the first hours of the flight, helium leaks were noticed in the propulsion system. Eventually, five leaks were discovered, but the leak rate was slow enough that the mission could proceed to rendezvous and docking operations.