As NASA and Boeing prepare for the uncrewed return of the company’s Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station to Earth, safety and mission success remain top priorities for the teams. Mission managers will conduct a series of operational and weather checks before the spacecraft undocks from the orbital complex.

The Starliner spacecraft is the first American capsule designed for landing. It is intended to support the expedited recovery of astronauts and cargo on future missions and to help the company overhaul the spacecraft. For Starliner missions, NASA and Boeing will use possible landing sites at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Willcox in Arizona and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Edwards Air Force Base in California is also available as an emergency landing site.

24 hours before undocking, NASA analyzes weather forecasts for the various landing sites. Wind speeds at the selected landing site must be no more than 6 mph (about 6 knots) for crewed flights and 13 mph (12 knots) for uncrewed flights. The ground temperature must be above 15 degrees Fahrenheit and cloud cover must be at least 1,000 feet high. Visibility of one nautical mile is required and there must be no precipitation, thunderstorms or lightning within approximately 22 miles (35 kilometers).

If teams proceed with undocking, Starliner will conduct a series of launch attempts so that it can reach its landing site in as little as six hours. A final weather check will also take place before the spacecraft attempts to launch. Wind speeds must not exceed 10 mph (9 knots). If wind speeds exceed these limits, teams will forgo the launch attempt and Starliner will attempt another landing 24 to 31 hours later.

Once cleared for launch, Starliner will perform its deorbit burst, which lasts about 60 seconds. This will decelerate it enough to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and deliver the spacecraft to its destination. Immediately after the deorbit burst, Starliner will move into a new position to discard the service module, which will burn up over the South Pacific Ocean upon re-entry.

After the service module separates, the command module maneuvers into the reentry position. During reentry, plasma forms inside the capsule—reaching temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit—which can disrupt communications with the spacecraft for about four minutes.

Once Starliner re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, the forward heat shield – located on top of the spacecraft – will be jettisoned at 30,000 feet, releasing the two braking and three main parachutes to deploy. The parachutes will continue to slow the spacecraft while the base heat shield is jettisoned at 3,000 feet to allow the six landing pads to inflate. At touchdown, the spacecraft will be traveling about 4 miles per hour.

The NASA and Boeing landing and recovery team is stationed in a holding zone near the Starliner’s planned landing site. After landing, five teams will approach the spacecraft in sequence.

The first team to approach the spacecraft is the Gold Team. They use equipment that “sniffs” the capsule for hypergoloid fuel that has not fully burned up before reentry. They also cover the spacecraft’s engines. Once the all-clear is given, the Silver Team moves forward. This team grounds and electrically stabilizes Starliner before the Green Team approaches, and provides power and cooling to the crew module since the spacecraft is powered down.

The blue team follows and documents the recovery for publication and review of future processes. The red team, which includes Boeing firefighters, paramedics and human factors engineers, then goes to the Starliner and opens the hatch.

The landing and recovery team will begin unloading time-critical cargo from the Starliner. The spacecraft will then be transported to Boeing facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for overhaul before its next flight.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry in a public-private partnership to launch astronauts into space from American soil on American rockets and spacecraft. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation for space station missions that allow for additional research time. The space station remains the springboard for NASA’s next big step in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.

For more information about the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew