(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Touchdown, Starliner!...Welcome home, Calypso".
The uncrewed Boeing's spacecraft landed at New Mexico's White Sands Space Harbor at 12:01 am ET (9:30 IST) on Saturday, September 7.“It was good landing, pretty awesome,” an official was heard saying soon after the“great” touchdown.
Another NASA official said the Starliner has“returned safely". She said,“Starliner has once again proven herself of the safe flight, to and from space.”
Starliner began its journey back to Earth at 6:04 pm EDT on Friday. That's 3:30 am on Saturday, as per the Indian Standard Times. It successfully undocked from the ISS and moved towards Earth after given a go-ahead from the officials. It completed his journey in approximately six hours.
“I want to recognize the work the Starliner teams did to ensure a successful and safe undocking, deorbit, re-entry and landing,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's Commercial Crew Program.“We will review the data and determine the next steps for the program," he added.
Also Read | Sunita Williams's message on Starliner's return: 'We have your backs and...' The Starliner's landing
As the Starliner's landing coverage was on, NASA said that around 30,000 feet after atmospheric re-entry, the forward heat shield separated from the Starliner spacecraft and the drogue parachutes inflated to help slow down the uncrewed capsule.
“About 45 seconds later, at around 8,000 feet, the drogue parachutes separated to make way for three larger main parachutes to deploy, slow down Starliner to 4 miles per hour, and allow an airbag-assisted landing,” the US space agency added.
Also Read | WATCH: Starliner on its way back to Earth without Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore
Soon, the base heat shield jettisoned to expose six airbags which inflated to assist in a soft landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Starliner landed in Mexico around 12 am EDT, or 9:30 am IST, Saturday.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore still in space
The Boeing spacecraft had launched with NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on board on June 5. They reached the International Space Station on June 6.
MENAFN07092024007365015876ID1108646806
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.