Summary
The Boeing Starliner capsule returned from the International Space Station Friday evening. The capsule spent about six hours free-flying through orbit as it slowly made its descent toward home.
The vehicle landed in New Mexico at the White Sands Space Harbor, an area within a vast missile range. Boeing hopes that approach will make it easier to recover and refurbish the spacecraft after flight.
A series of problems with the Starliner have forced it to stay in orbit for a few more days. The space shuttle is expected to return to Earth on Sunday.
The “doghouses,” or structures that contain propulsion equipment, were flying hotter than expected, causing some Teflon seals within the thruster systems to bulge. The helium leaks might have been caused by seals that became degraded by exposure to propellant vapor.
Boeing said as recently as August 2 that its “confidence remains high” that Starliner could return with crew. But since NASA announced its decision to fly the capsule home without astronauts, the company has said only that it is focused on “executing the mission as determined by NASA”
It is not yet clear whether the flight will go ahead as planned or if it will be delayed. The flight was supposed to take off from the Kennedy Space Center.
