The CST-100 Boeing Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday evening, ending its nearly three-month stay in space. However, the ship's crew of two test pilots will remain on the ISS for another five or six months, CNN reports, according to UNN.
Mission details
According to NASA, the Starliner left the ISS docking port just after 01:00 Kyiv time. The capsule will spend about six hours in free flight in orbit, after which it will slowly descend to its destination. At about 07:00 am, Starliner will enter the Earth's atmosphere. This will be the first American-made capsule to land on solid ground using a parachute, rather than falling into the ocean as it has done before. Boeing hopes that this approach will facilitate the recovery and repair of the spacecraft after the flight.
The Starliner landing site is located in New Mexico, in the White Sands Space Harbor, on the territory of the eponymous rocket launch site, which was previously used to train NASA space shuttle pilots. According to the space agency's latest schedule, the capsule is scheduled to land around 08:00 Kyiv time.
Earlier it was reported that NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth in early 2025 using the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The Starliner experienced technical difficulties due to helium leaks and engine failure during the initial stage of its first test flight with the crew.