Starliner Completes Entry Interface

Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft successfully completed entry interface over the Pacific Ocean.

During re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere, Starliner will begin to slow down from orbital velocity at 17,500 miles per hour.

The next milestone will be separation of the forward heat shield and deployment of two drogue parachutes to slow Starliner’s speed and drag.

The spacecraft is expected to land at approximately 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

NASA’s Coverage Continues, Starliner Begins Re-entry

NASA’s coverage continues on NASA+, the NASA app, and YouTube, and the agency’s website as Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft begins entry interface 400,000 feet above Earth.

As the hottest part of re-entry, the spacecraft’s heat shield will reach 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it enters the atmosphere.

Starliner is equipped with an ablative heat shield containing a layer of plastic resin that will heat up to gas and carry the heat away from the crew capsule through convection. This process helps keep the temperature inside the capsule around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Similar heat shields were used on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecrafts.

The spacecraft is expected to land at approximately 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

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