Despite a test flight that docked with the International Space Station but left the Boeing Starliner capsule returning empty, the spacecraft still could become a significant part of NASA's commercial payload program.

Boeing's plagued Starliner spacecraft wasn't empty when it gently drifted back down to Earth over the New Mexico desert over the weekend. While NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' seats were unoccupied,

A former astronaut explains what Starliner’s return means for the future of NASA, Boeing’s troubled space program, and the crew left behind on the ISS.

The Starliner slammed into the discernible atmosphere 400,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean before descending to a parachute-and-airbag assisted touchdown.

Wilmore and Williams will stay on the International Space Station until February 2025, when they’ll return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Conversation U.S. asked former commander of the International Space Station Michael Fossum about NASA’s decision to return the craft uncrewed,

The capsule returned autonomously to Earth without its two crew members, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will remain aboard the station until next February. The space agency determined late last month that the pair will make their journey back to Earth on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule,

NASA and Boeing will begin to assess what went wrong with the spacecraft’s thrusters and try to determine whether Boeing will have to make design changes.

Leaving its crew behind, the Starliner is expected to undock and head for landing in New Mexico to wrap up a disappointing test flight.