NASA set to reveal how Boeing Starliner astronauts will return to Earth

NASA is set to provide crucial details on Saturday regarding the return of the Boeing Starliner crew to Earth. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will address the public in a live news conference at 1 p.m. EDT from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The event, which will be broadcast and livestreamed, follows a closed-door flight-readiness review with NASA and Boeing officials.

This announcement is significant as it may confirm whether the Boeing Starliner crew will return to Earth aboard the same spacecraft that took them into orbit or delay their return until February when they could potentially board a SpaceX Dragon.

The flight-readiness review, typically conducted before a mission, is happening mid-mission to evaluate if the Starliner is fit for a safe return. The review is critical in deciding whether astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams will come back to Earth in the Starliner or if the spacecraft will have to undock and return without any crew on board.