Boeing's Starliner capsule departs space station without a crew

Boeing's Starliner capsule successfully departed from the International Space Station (ISS) without a crew on Friday evening, beginning a six-hour trek back to the Earth.

The capsule, which has been attached to the ISS since June, was initially expected to make a one week trip to the station with two NASA astronauts. But multiple helium leaks and other issues have left the pair stranded on the station for months. 

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who is one of the two still stranded on the space station, celebrated Starliner's departure after it successfully completed 12 brief firings of its small engines, which allowed it to fully break away from the station. There are currently nine people on the ISS altogether.

“OK. She’s on her way home,” Williams said as the Starliner drifted away, per CNN. “Congratulations to the undock team.”

Williams and her teammate Butch Wilmore are not expected to return to Earth until February, after NASA deemed the journey too risky with Starliner.

The capsule is now expected to reenter the Earth's atmosphere at approximately midnight. The reentry is considered one of the most dangerous parts of the journey because of the high speeds at that stage. Starliner is currently scheduled to land in New Mexico at approximately 12:02 a.m. Eastern.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.