Coverage Set for NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 Return to Earth
The uncrewed Boeing CST-100 Starliner approaches the forward port of the International Space Station ahead of docking on May 20, for the first time, during NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2. Credits: NASA
NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming return activities for the agency’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). As part of the uncrewed flight test, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will depart from the International Space Station for a landing in the western United States.
The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station to begin the journey home at 1:36 p.m. CDT Wednesday, May 25. NASA and Boeing are targeting 5:49 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.
The return and related activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
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.
NASA’s Boeing OFT-2 return coverage on NASA TV is as follows, and all times are subject to change based on mission operations (all times are Central):
Wednesday, May 25
1 p.m. – TV coverage begins for the 1:36 p.m. undocking. NASA will break coverage after the spacecraft exits joint operations with the space station.
4:45 p.m. – Coverage begins for 5:05 p.m. deorbit burn and 5:49 p.m. landing in the western United States.
8 p.m. – Return to Earth news conference on NASA TV from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston:
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Joel Montalbano, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Suni Williams, NASA astronaut
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing
Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station, and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts and the space station blog.
See full mission coverage, NASA's commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission at: