Boeing’s Starliner capsule is returning to Earth after successfully reaching the International Space Station for the first time last week.
Starliner undocked from the space station Wednesday at 2:36 p.m. and landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 6:49 p.m., according to NASA.
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The capsule launched without a crew Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its second-ever orbital test flight.
Starliner docked at the space station around 8:28 p.m. Friday and stayed for a few days. While the capsule was docked at the International Space Station, astronauts aboard the space station reviewed the capsule’s systems and rendezvous procedures.
OFT-2 was scrubbed during a launch attempt in August 2021 and was later delayed that October as officials were still investigating the first hold-up, in which moisture reportedly leaked into Starliner’s service module. In 2019, a malfunction during the capsule’s first flight test caused it to return to Earth 48 hours after launching, as a maneuver critical to getting Starliner to the ISS was missed shortly after takeoff.
Since the test flight was successful, NASA and Boeing will then plan a Crew Flight Test, Starliner’s first mission with astronauts on board.
A post-landing conference was held at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday evening to celebrate the successful landing.