Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Returns To Earth

After undocking from the International Space Station, Boeing Co. BA spacecraft landed in the desert on Wednesday, marking the end of a test mission that was first attempted more than two years ago, reported WSJ.

The ship had successfully connected with the space station on Friday night, nearly a day after being launched into orbit by a rocket from a Florida launchpad.

Related: Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Rockets Towards International Space Station

According to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration live broadcast, Boeing's Starliner glided down under parachutes after a deorbiting maneuver, landing at 6:49 p.m. ET at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The Starliner carried out several maneuvers during the mission to demonstrate its capacity to fly and make adjustments in orbit to reach the station.

 "Putting the vehicle through its paces on this flight is really the only way to prepare us for the crewed flight test," NASA program manager Steve Stich stated.

Two of the Starliner's orbital maneuvering thrusters failed before docking with the station space last week, but a third worked as planned, allowing the vehicle to complete an important maneuver. According to Boeing, the two thrusters failed due to a loss in pressure.

Price Action: BA shares are trading higher by 0.58% at $122.77 during the premarket session on Thursday.

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