Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has completed its journey back to Earth - but the astronauts it was supposed to be carrying remain behind on the International Space Station. The empty craft travelled in autonomous mode after undocking from the orbiting lab.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule is in the midst of its inaugural crew flight test (CFT) but will complete its mission autonomously.

In a major blow to Boeing, NASA decided its two astronauts will not return on the Starliner spacecraft that carried them to the space station. Instead, the two astronauts will wait on the orbiting outpost until they can hitch a ride back with a SpaceX Dragon next year.