Boeing’s Starliner will attempt return to Earth without crew on Friday

Boeing’s (NYSE:BA) impaired Starliner spacecraft on Friday will be undocked from the International Space Station for a return to Earth without a crew, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Wednesday.

As long as weather conditions are suitable at the landing site in New Mexico, the agency said the departure is on track. It expects the journey to the White Sands Space Harbor to last about six hours and be completed by early Saturday.

The landing will mark a significant stage in a test flight that didn’t work out as expected. Boeing (BA) sought to show that the Starliner was capable of bringing astronauts to and from the space station in order to receive certification from NASA.

However, there were problems with several of the spacecraft’s thrusters and a helium leak was discovered in the propulsion system after the Starliner left Earth on June 5 carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

NASA decided the Starliner capsule would return to Earth without people onboard. Wilmore and Williams are currently scheduled to come home on a SpaceX capsule in February.