A day after a timing error caused it to enter the wrong orbit and miss its objective of meeting up with the International Space Station, Boeing’s unpiloted Starliner crew capsule prepared for its next major test Sunday, when it will plunge back into the atmosphere and target a predawn landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
The commercial crew capsule, flying on its first space mission, is scheduled to land under parachutes in a remote corner of the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico at 7:57 a.m. MST (5:57 a.m. MST; 1257 GMT) Sunday.
Approaching from the southwest, the 15-foot-wide (nearly 4.6-meter) spacecraft will deploy three main parachutes, jettison its head shield and inflate airbags to cushion its landing in the New Mexican desert.
A backup landing opportunity is available at White Sands at 3:48 p.m. EST (1:48 p.m. MST; 2048 GMT) Sunday.