Following a series of setbacks and issues, the Boeing Starliner is set to make its uncrewed journey back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) today. The spacecraft, which has been docked at the ISS since June, will undergo a series of checks before it is cleared to undock and initiate its descent, as reported by the UPI. Operated by NASA, the Starliner faced propulsion system problems that delayed the return of the craft and its crew, necessitating a prolonged stay for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

The Starliner's descent schedule includes undocking from the ISS at 5:04 p.m., followed by a few orbits around Earth before its deorbit burn and landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The targeted landing time is around 11:03 p.m. NASA's coverage of this event will kick off at 4:45 p.m. with the undocking process, and they will reconvene at around 9:50 p.m. for the follow-up on Starliner's re-entry into the atmosphere, detailed by the Houston Chronicle. The stakeholders, including officials from NASA and Boeing's Commercial Crew Program, will hold a press conference after the landing.

During its return, the spacecraft will perform a deorbit burn, which involves a critical 60-second firing of its engines, as per NASA's announcement. This maneuver will slow the capsule enough to re-enter the atmosphere. The service module will subsequently be jettisoned over the southern Pacific Ocean. As the Starliner re-enters Earth's atmosphere, it is expected to encounter temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially losing communication with ground control due to plasma buildup. The UPI notes that upon reaching about 30,000 feet, the Starliner will jettison its heat shield, deploying parachutes to reduce its speed for a gentle touchdown.

The landing process involves the Starliner touching down at a speed of 4 mph. Ground teams will then conduct safety checks, which include "sniffing" for any unburned fuels that may pose a risk. "After landing, a series of five teams move in toward the spacecraft in a sequential order," NASA explained, to ensure that the craft is secured and safe. These post-landing operations are essential even though the spacecraft returns without its crew, which will remain onboard the ISS until February. Meanwhile, due to the reassignment of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to accommodate the return of the Starliner crew members, NASA has made logistical adjustments. According to NASA Chief Astronaut Joe Acaba in an agency statement last week, "While we've changed crew before for a variety of reasons, downsizing crew for this flight was another tough decision to adjust to given that the crew has trained as a crew of four," as reported by UPI.

The overarching goal following the Starliner's uncrewed return is to transport the spacecraft back to Boeing facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for refurbishment, preparing it for future missions.