Following the successful launch of the NASA–Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), which carried the CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station, Starliner returned safely to Earth at 5:49 p.m. CDT on May 25 with a soft landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico a little over four hours after undocking from the ISS.

“Rosie the Rocketeer,” a dummy astronaut strapped into the commander’s seat of Starliner, played a key role in preparing Starliner for the next step of the mission, which is expected to start ferrying human crews to the ISS later this year.

NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Kjell Lindgren greet “Rosie the Rocketeer” inside the Boeing Starliner spacecraft shortly after opening its hatch.

Rosie, like her WWII-era Rosie the Riveter namesake, flew aboard the Starliner wearing a blue spacesuit and a red polka-dot scarf echoing that of the famous poster. In a nod to the current pandemic, she also wore a face mask hand-sewn by 96-year-old Mae Krier, a “real-life Rosie” who built Boeing B-17 and B-29 aircraft in a Seattle factory at age 17.

For this flight test, Starliner carried about 500 lbs of NASA cargo and crew supplies along with over 300 lbs of Boeing cargo to the ISS. Following certification, NASA missions aboard Starliner will carry up to four crew members to the space station.

Desert landings aren’t the traditional norm for American orbital crew capsules–NASA’s Apollo spacecraft and SpaceX’s Dragon vehicle ended their missions exclusively with ocean splashdowns.

NASA and Boeing identified four alternate landing sites prior to Starliner’s return, citing weather as the ultimate deciding factor. Fortunately, Starliner ended up landing exactly where and when it was supposed to, within 0.3 miles of its target.

The reusable crew module is on its way back to its factory in Florida, where teams will analyze flight test data, incorporate lessons learned, and work toward its future goal of certification for crewd flight.

“We are getting our crewed test vehicle ready to go by the end of the year,” stated NASA human spaceflight chief Kathy Leuders in a prelaunch press conference.

Despite a few hiccups during orbital insertion, this mission has been a victory for Boeing, ULA, and NASA. “On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 15,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program.

“We wanted to learn, and we did. The team reacted to everything that was thrown at them perfectly. It was a great test fight, and it put us in a great position for the Crew Flight Test.”

Images provided by NASA.