Boeing Starliner hatch closed, setting stage for unpiloted return to Earth Friday
CBSN
With its problematic mission finally winding down, Boeing's Starliner capsule was rigged for re-entry and its hatch closed Thursday, setting the stage for undocking and an unpiloted return to Earth overnight Friday in the final chapter of a disappointing test flight.
Ninety-two days after launching aboard the Starliner — a mission originally expected to last a little more than a week — commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams kept their thoughts to themselves as the hatch was closed at 1:29 p.m. EDT.
Leaving Wilmore and Williams behind, the Starliner is expected to undock from the International Space Station's forward Harmony module just after 6 p.m. Friday. Five hours and 15 minutes later, the spacecraft's powerful braking rockets are programmed to fire for about 59 seconds to drop the ship out of orbit.
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