Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft made a dramatic return to Earth on Friday night, but without NASA pilots on board as originally planned. The first astronaut mission for Boeing ended with an empty capsule landing at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range, while two test pilots remained in space, awaiting their return next year.
Despite successfully departing from the International Space Station, NASA judged the return of the pilots too risky, opting to leave them behind for now. The Starliner descended on autopilot through the darkness of the desert, eventually touching down with the help of parachutes.
This unexpected turn of events raises questions about the reliability of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and the future of manned missions to space. With SpaceX also in the race to provide commercial crew transportation for NASA, Boeing will need to address any issues in order to maintain its competitive edge in the space industry.
As the test pilots await their delayed return to Earth, the success of future missions involving the Starliner will be closely monitored. The stakes are high for Boeing as they strive to prove the capabilities of their spacecraft in the challenging environment of space travel.
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Video “Boeing’s Starliner returns to Earth without NASA pilots • FRANCE 24 English” was uploaded on 09/07/2024 to Youtube Channel FRANCE 24 English