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NASA and Boeing landed the CST-100 Starliner in New Mexico on Wednesday.
The landing marked the completion of the spacecraft’s unmanned orbital flight-2 (OFT-2) test at the International Space Station (ISS).
The capsule parachuted into Earth about four hours after leaving the orbiting laboratory.
NASA said the Boeing Starliner mission was a “critical step in validating the performance of Boeing’s systems” and that the OFT-2 “brings the nation one step closer to having two unique human transportation systems.” to carry astronauts to and from the space station from the United States. ” ground”.
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“NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and our industry partner Boeing have taken an important and successful step in their journey today to allow more human spaceflight missions to the International Space Station on American spacecraft from American soil, “NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
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“The OFT-2 mission represents the power of collaboration, enabling us to innovate for the benefit of humanity and inspire the world through discovery. This golden age of spaceflight would not be possible without the thousands of individuals who go persevere and pour out his passion in this great success, “he added.
“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and perseverance shown by the NASA, Boeing and ULA team that culminated in the successful completion of Starliner’s second orbital flight test from start to finish,” said Steve Stich, Manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a statement. “During this process, Starliner has provided a wealth of valuable data, which we continue to evaluate in our effort to bring the spacecraft online and fully operational for the crew’s flights to the space station as soon as it is safe to do so. ho. “
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The flight test began on May 19th. The Starliner was launched with the ULA Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Florida space force station. It docked at the ISS on Friday, after which astronauts tested Starliner’s computer and communications systems and loaded supplies.
Boeing abandoned its first attempt to reach the space station in 2019 after software bugs. The problem was fixed last summer, but corroded valves prevented a second attempt.
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After NASA and Boeing review the data for this test flight, the teams will continue with plans for Starliner and its next mission, the flight test of the crew to the space station.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.