Starliner begins its journey home without crew; Here’s how to watch its landing live
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was set to return to Earth, marking the end of a 14-year mission fraught with challenges. The uncrewed spacecraft was due to perform a crucial deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. EDT, aiming for a landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico shortly after midnight. The landing test would evaluate Starliner’s heat shield and a newly redesigned parachute system.
Boeing's Starliner mission, a pivotal endeavor that started 14 years ago, is now reaching its critical phases as it makes its return journey to Earth. The spacecraft’s deorbit burn is a key maneuver needed to slow it enough for gravity to pull it back to the planet, targeting a safe landing at the vast, flat expanse of White Sands Space Harbor. The success of the landing will depend heavily on the deployment of its parachutes, followed by airbags to ensure a soft touchdown, expected around 12:03 a.m. EDT on September 7.
NASA astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been vocal in their support for the mission control team. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore offered encouraging words as Starliner prepared to undock and return home.
«She's on her way home. Congratulations to the undocking team,» NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who launched on the Starliner with crewmate Butch Wilmore on June 5, radioed to Mission Control from inside the ISS as her spacecraft drifted away without her. NASA decided to return the Starliner home without crew due to thruster concerns, though the capsule's thrusters appeared
