An empty Boeing Starliner is scheduled to return from the International Space Station in early September. It will fly home autonomously while its crew remains in space until February.
The Federal Aviation Administration opened the investigation after a rocket booster toppled aboard a drone ship after it was returning from lofting SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites into space.
Boeing’s Starliner will return to Earth as soon as next week — but the crew will stay in space into next year. It’s another blow for Boeing, and could have major implications for its space business.
Boeing's troubled Starliner remains docked at the International Space Station as NASA decides it is too risky to bring the astronauts home on the spacecraft. The two astronauts will return in February.
The encounter is an out-of-this-world example of right place, right time — as Mars zips past Jupiter, Earth will be in the perfect spot to see the two planets look as if they are within arm's reach.
The meteor shower creates an opportunity to sit outside at night and watch shooting stars. It's also an opportunity for researchers to do some science.
Starliner's test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, should have returned by mid-June. NASA is weighing its options for returning the two, including a ride home in a rival SpaceX capsule.
Two astronauts have been hanging out on the International Space Station since last month, waiting for the Boeing capsule that got them there to be repaired to bring them home.
