The Boeing Starliner is ready to return home after spending five days docked at the International Space Station (ISS). Launched under the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, spacecraft leak checks have been completed and NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines have closed the hatch. Boeing, in its mission statement, revealed that the spacecraft is in good shape to disengage from the space station and will leave with about 272 kilograms of cargo on May 26.
“It’s been an honor to be a part of this and to be a little gear on the wheel. “This end and see the culmination of these efforts and all these activities,” Hines said, according to Boeing. In particular, this was the first time Starliner docked at the ISS in what was his second attempt, the first being in 2019.
How to see decoupling and landing?
The spacecraft will be decoupled from the space station at 2:36 pm ET on May 25 [12:06 am (IST), May 26] and NASA will begin live coverage at 11 p.m. (IST). After a four-hour journey, the spacecraft will land in the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Field in New Mexico at 4:19 p.m. Coverage will also be broadcast on the NASA app, NASA TV, the agency’s official website and YouTube channel.
According to Boeing, mission crews will hold an information session on the weather in the landing area one hour before the Starliner moves away for departure. The team will also conduct a “go” or “no go” survey to continue decoupling operations.
The OFT-2 mission is about to end
The OFT-2 mission, part of NASA’s commercial crew program, is just steps away from completion. Both Boeing and NASA teamed up to test Starliner’s end-to-end capabilities from launch to docking, re-entry into the atmosphere, and landing in the desert. If all goes according to plan, Boeing will gain a NASA license to transport cargo and astronauts to and from the space station.