Tag: Returns

Boeing Starliner’s Future Is Unclear After Returning Without Astronauts

The New York Times reports that Boeing’s Starliner “has finally come home, but the two NASA astronauts who traveled in it to the International Space Station in June remain in orbit. Because of problems with Starliner’s propulsion system during its approach to the space station in June, NASA officials decided not to put the astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, on Starliner for the return trip. They will spend an additional five months on the space station as part of the crew before coming back to Earth around February in a spacecraft built and managed by SpaceX.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Full Story (NYT via Yahoo News)

4 Space Station Crew Members Head for Tuesday Splashdown

CBS News reports, “A SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry ship carrying four long-duration crew members undocked from the International Space Station on Monday, setting the stage for re-entry and splashdown early Tuesday to wrap up a 199-day mission.”
Full Story (CBS News)

 

Videos

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 re-entry, 12 March 2024
(Official NASA Broadcast; YouTube)

Paris Air Show Returns After Four-year Hiatus

CNBC reports that it’s been “four years since one of the aviation industry’s biggest air shows was held in person.” Following the COVID-19 pandemic which severely impacted travel demand and caused the industry to shed “thousands of experienced workers,” the Paris Air Show makes it return Monday “during a surge in air travel demand, with airlines starving for jets to feed it.” The article notes that aviation analytics firm IBA estimates that “there could be orders for about 2,100 planes during the show as airlines replace older aircraft and prepare for future growth in air travel.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Starliner Returns to White Sands Missile Range

The Washington Post reports that the Boeing Company’s Starliner capsule undocked from the International Space Station Wednesday and successfully returned to Earth, completing a six-day mission.  The uncrewed capsule “touched down as scheduled at 6:49 p.m. Eastern time at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico under a trio of parachutes.”  Starliner’s return marked the final step of a vital test for Boeing and NASA, “which required the aerospace company to prove it could safely fly the vehicle to the station and back autonomously before allowing it to fly astronauts.”
Full Story (Washington Post)
 
 
 

 

 Video

Starliner’s Orbital Flight Test-2 Landing (Boeing via YouTube)