Boeing’s troubled Starliner spaceship lands back on Earth without crew
Starliner’s smooth return was a relief for the aviation giant’s space ambitions after Nasa deemed it too risky to send astronauts home on it
Boeing’s problem-plagued Starliner landed uncrewed at White Sands Space Harbour in New Mexico late on Friday, capping a three-month test mission hobbled by technical issues that forced the astronauts it had flown to the International Space Station (ISS) to remain there until next year.
The spacecraft left the ISS earlier on Friday, bound for Earth without astronauts after Nasa deemed the risk too great.
The century-old aerospace giant’s reputation has taken a hammering over thruster malfunctions and helium leaks its spaceship encountered on its way up to the orbital outpost in June, and the US space agency’s subsequent decision to fly its crew back on a rival SpaceX Crew Dragon next year.
“It is time to bring Calypso home,” astronaut Suni Williams told mission control, using the spaceship’s nickname. “We have your back and you’ve got this, bring her back to Earth. Good luck.”
Starliner returned to Earth seemingly without a hitch, a Nasa live stream showed, nailing the critical final phase of its mission.
The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at orbital speeds of roughly 27,400km/h. About 45 minutes later, it deployed a series of parachutes to slow its descent and inflated a set of airbags moments before touching down in the arid desert in New Mexico.
