posted 05-23-2022 04:14 PM               

The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station to begin the journey home at 2:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 25. NASA and Boeing are targeting 6:49 p.m. for the landing and conclusion of OFT-2, wrapping up a six-day mission testing the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system.

In advance of Starliner's return, commercial crew astronauts at the space station will speak with NASA leadership and make farewell remarks prior to closing the hatch to the uncrewed spacecraft.

Teams are targeting White Sands Space Harbor at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico as the primary landing site, with a backup White Sands opportunity Friday, May 27. The spacecraft will return with more than 600 pounds of cargo, including Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System reusable tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members. The tanks will be refilled on Earth and sent back to station on a future flight.

posted 05-24-2022 10:10 AM               

See Starliner's hatch close on May 24 to prepare for undocking from the International Space Station the next day. Live coverage begins at 11:00 a.m. CT. The Expedition 67 crew aboard the Space Station will help send off the spacecraft ahead of the May 25 deorbit and landing.

posted 05-25-2022 12:13 PM               

See Starliner undock from the International Space Station May 25. Live coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. CT, with undocking scheduled for ~1:36 p.m. CT. Our teams will be live with NASA inside NASA Johnson Mission Control and the Boeing Mission Control Center, and we'll have live views from the International Space Station.

posted 05-25-2022 01:15 PM               

The ground track for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft shows it entering Earth's atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean then traveling northeast for a landing in New Mexico on Wednesday at 6:49 p.m. ET.

posted 05-25-2022 04:26 PM               

Starliner is coming home May 25.

Live coverage will start at 3:45 p.m. MT, with Starliner coming in for a landing at 4:49 p.m. MT at White Sands Missile Range. This is the final crucial OFT-2 milestone for the NASA Commercial Crew Program. Starliner is returning after a successful May 19 launch and May 20 docking to the International Space Station.

posted 05-25-2022 06:20 PM               

Starliner completed all of its deorbit, reentry and landing maneuvers, bringing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) to a successful conclusion.

• Gold Team: Conduct a hazard assessment to keep the rest of the convoy safe. They run a "sniff" test to check the spacecraft for any hypergolic propellant leaks, such as hydrazine, while placing toxic vapors monitors and installing thruster covers.

• Silver Team: Power down, ground, and stabilize the spacecraft. They then conduct a static discharge, then parachute recovery and jettison hardware retrieval.

• Blue Team: Capture imagery, setup broadcast equipment, and report live coverage for NASA TV. They are positioned 200 feet from the spacecraft to give viewers a direct shot of the Starliner's side hatch.

• Green Team: Set up the environmental enclosure on the crew module and hook up ground cooling so the vehicle's critical systems don't overheat.

• Red Team: Lead the opening of the crew module hatch. This team is comprised mostly of Boeing fire rescue teammates. For crewed missions, the team will perform crew extrication, medical examination and support, contingency rescue, and assist with cargo unloading.

• Range: Support landing site range.

• Pink Team: Observe the operations. They are comprised mostly of astronauts, NASA leaders, and Boeing leaders.

• Orange Team: Hoist crew module and transport off-range, normally the next day.

• Recovery Ops Conductor (ROC) and Recovery Ops Lead (ROL): Provide air traffic control for the Landing and Recovery teams as they perform their tasks one by one.

posted 05-26-2022 03:19 PM               

I believe the grounding device are the red and blue cables seen in this photo: