Boeing's new astronaut capsule is set to depart the International Space Station on Friday without its crew. NASA's two test pilots will remain at the space station as the Starliner capsule prepares to undock and land in the New Mexico desert.
Due to thruster failures and helium leaks during the journey to the space station, NASA deemed it too risky to return the pilots on Starliner. As a result, the capsule will carry their empty seats and blue spacesuits back to Earth. SpaceX will bring the pilots back in late February, extending their mission from eight days to over eight months.
