The final act of this important end-to-end demonstration of the system has been cleared by the International Space Station. All of the action can be watched live here. The Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 is coming to a close. The launch of the uncrewed Starliner atop a ULA Atlas V rocket began the six-day mission on Friday, May 19th. Despite some problems with its engines, the spaceship was able to dock at the space station on the following day. It is time for Starliner to come home after the docking tests are complete. At 2:36 p.m., the spaceship is scheduled to detach from the Harmony module, and then perform a parachute-assisted landing. NASA will provide full coverage of the return activities. The live broadcast will stop for a short time once Starliners leaves the International Space Station, but will resume at 6 pm to cover the atmospheric re-entry and landing in the United States. The live broadcasts will be available on NASA TV, Boeing's website, and at the livestream provided below. The uncrewed Starliner is going to land in New Mexico. The mission operators will conduct a poll 45 minutes prior to the undocking to check the weather. Should there be a delay, the team will try again on Friday.
The final phase of OFT-2 will unfold according to the mission profile.
G/O Media may get a commissionWhen cleared to leave the space station, Starliner undocks, performs a flyaround maneuver, and positions itself for the deorbit burn to slow from orbital velocity in preparation for atmospheric reentry, where it is met with reentry heating of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius). Starliner will jettison the forward heat shield around 30,000 feet (9 km) above the ground, followed by deployment of a series of parachutes. First, two drogue parachutes continue to slow Starliner, followed by extraction of the three main parachutes. At 3,000 feet [914 meters] from the ground, airbags inflate to further absorb the initial forces of landing, cushioning the crew for a soft, safe return to Earth.
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Boeing's Starliner performs a landing in the desert, unlike the Crew Dragon which does a splashdown in the ocean. Crew Dragon has been human-rated since 2020 and OFT-2 will move the program further in that direction. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, is behind schedule due to two failed test attempts.
The hatch was closed by the crew at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. It has been an honor to be a small part of the Commercial Crew Program and the amazing teams that put this vehicle together.
A camera mounted to Canadarm2 allowed for a close inspection of Starliner's Thermal Protection System. In addition to running tests and inspecting the vehicle, the two men have removed 500 pounds of incoming cargo and 600 pounds of outgoing cargo for the return trip home.
Boeing's OFT-2 mission will officially come to an end when it lands. Mission planners will look over the data to see how well the craft performed. It is already an item of concern that the vehicle experienced propulsion failures during the burn. Boeing and NASA are hoping to conduct a crewed test of Starliner later this year, but that depends on the results of the test.
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