Steve Stich, manager for NASA's Commercial Crew program, noted, "Anytime you're in a meeting of this magnitude, where there's this kind of decision, there is some tension in the room. The teams were very split."
NASA's decision on August 24 to return Starliner uncrewed came after weeks of deliberation and evaluation of the spacecraft's technical data and safety protocols.
The Starliner initially carried astronauts on June 5 but encountered issues shortly after launch, including a helium leak and thruster failures, leading to reconsideration of the return method.
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