WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2022) Boeing's unmanned Starliner spacecraft returned to earth following its first successful orbital test flight and docking on the International Space Station (ISS), the aerospace company said in a press release.
"At 6:49 p.m. (EST), Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft landed at its designated landing zone at the White Sands Space Harbor on the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico," the release said on Wednesday. "Starliner completed all of its deorbit, reentry and landing maneuvers, bringing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) to a successful conclusion."
The Starliner launched into space last Thursday aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket for an unmanned cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that is meant to demonstrate if the vehicle is a step closer to certification to carry astronauts.
The mission to the ISS was the second test flight of the repeatedly delayed Boeing spacecraft, which is planned as a working complimentary system to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft already in service.
The spacecraft delivered a cargo payload to the ISS and returned with more cargo.
