Boeing Starliner heads back to Earth without its crew

Boeing's troubled Starliner space craft undocked from the International Space Station yesterday - without its crew - and began a high-risk return to Earth. The Starliner undocked shortly after 2300 GMT and is scheduled to touch down six hours later in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico.

- KELLY RISSMAN

The craft returns without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The Nasa astronauts had traveled on the space capsule in what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight in June, but due to problems plaguing the Starliner, the pair will stay at the Space Station until February, when they will hitch a ride back to Earth with SpaceX.

Nasa decided this month that it would be too risky to return the astronauts to Earth on the capsule because of persistent problems before, during and after its June launch, namely thruster trouble and helium leaks.

To add apparent insult to injury, Wilmore reported last weekend that the spacecraft was making “strange” pulsing sounds.

But Nasa responded with an explanation, suggesting that there were no additional problems with the beleaguered capsule.