Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has made a successful landing in the US state of New Mexico, with NASA broadcasting the event live.
“The Starliner spacecraft landed at 22:01 local time,” the broadcast anchor reported.
The spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station at 18:04 Eastern Coast time, taking about six hours to return to Earth.
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Built by Boeing under a NASA contract, the Starliner embarked on its first crewed flight with NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on June 5.
The test mission was initially planned to last around a week, but was extended due to engine issues and a helium leak discovered during docking, which necessitated an investigation into the causes of the malfunction and an assessment of safety for the upcoming flight.
Despite efforts, the problems could not be resolved, and it was decided that the Starliner would return to Earth without its crew. NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams are expected to remain on the ISS until February next year and will return home on SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
