Boeing’s Starliner capsule prepares to return to Earth. The hatch is to be closed by the evening of 24 May. The return will take place the next day.
The mission of Starliner (Orbital Flight Test-2) in summary
- When ? From May 24 to 26, 2022 (Paris time);
- Where ? Near the ISS, in the atmosphere, then in the United States;
- What ? Starliner’s return to Earth after its stay in space.
What mission awaits the Starliner capsule?
That’s it, it’s already time to return for the Starliner capsule. ” The crew aboard the International Space Station prepares for the departure of Starliner, which is scheduled to undock on Wednesday, May 25 », NASA said in a tweet posted on May 24. His return to Earth is expected for May 26 (Paris time).
Docked at the International Space Station since May 20, she will have spent only five days in space, at an altitude of 400 kilometers – she was expected to stay in space between five and ten days. A period during which the ship was thoroughly inspected, inside and out, and subjected to a battery of tests.
” The Starliner completed numerous flight test objectives while in orbit, including establishing common ventilation with the iSS, recharging batteries from station power, and verifying telemetry paths and file transfers “, indicates Boeing, the manufacturer of Starliner, in a progress report published on May 23.
On the outside is the articulated arm Canadarm 2 (which operates as a mobile service system) of the Canadian Space Agency who was mobilized to inspect the exterior of the craft with its cameras. Inside, it was the astronauts on board the ISS who took on this task, which allowed the passage to discover the interior of the capsule a little closer.
For the departure, several steps are expected: first, the closing of the hatch to prepare the separation between Starliner and the ISS. Then maneuvers to get away. Finally, atmospheric re-entry itself. At the end of the race, the capsule will end its journey suspended from a parachute. Contact with the ground, in the American West, will be cushioned by giant airbags.
When does the Starliner leave the ISS?
The hatch closure is scheduled for May 24 at 7:55 p.m. (Paris time). The undocking itself is scheduled for May 25 at 8:36 p.m. The deorbiting maneuvers will occur on May 26 at 00:05. Contact with Earth is announced at 00:49, within the White Sands Missile Test Range, in an area serving as a launch base (White Sands Space Harbor).
Where to see the return of Starliner on the net?
The American space agency will broadcast the main stages of the return of the Starliner capsule on its YouTube channel.