Boeing’s Starliner will return to Earth without stranded astronauts to make room for SpaceX capsule

Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth uncrewed in the coming weeks to make room for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which NASA tapped to help bring two stranded astronauts home after issues with Starliner.

NASA said the Boeing craft , which suffered helium leaks and thruster failures in June, is expected to eject from the International Space Station and make a “safe, controlled autonomous re-entry” in early September.

The trip will be watched closely as the craft was originally meant to carry astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home, with NASA opting against the trip due to the safety risks despite Boeing’s reassurance.

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“The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission,” the space agency said in a statement.

Wilmore and Williams are currently helping NASA test and maintain the capsule, with officials conducting yet another phase of its Flight Readiness Review to determine when exactly Starliner can make the trip home.

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The troubled ship must undock before Crew-9’s mission to ensure a port is available for the SpaceX craft, which is set to launch as early as Sept. 24 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

“Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft,” the company told The Post. “We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”

Despite the failure of Starliner’s maiden voyage, NASA said it looked forward to working with the company to create a second avenue for space travel alongside SpaceX.

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June’s flight was meant to be Starliner’s final test to put Boeing on par with its SpaceX rival after the company poured more than $1.5 billion into the Commercial Crew program.

Instead, Starliner suffered helium leaks before its launch on June 5, with officials opting to go through with the flight as the initial problems were deemed too small to pose a threat.

The leaks, however, only got worse once the ship left the atmosphere, with several thrusters experiencing issues as Starliner docked.

NASA cited the thrusters last week as an ongoing issue when it canceled the return trip aboard Starliner.

The decision served as a major blow to Boeing, which had already been dealing with backlash over its commercial planes following a series of high-profile safety mishaps.

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