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Boeing failed to send its Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. She landed Sunday December 22 in New Mexico. NASA / AFP

The American aeronautical giant failed to send its Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. An unmanned mission nonetheless presented as a semi-success before manned flights planned for 2020.

With our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki

The landing of Starliner, broadcast live this Sunday, December 22, was smooth in the desert of New Mexico. The journey of the Boeing space capsule will have lasted around fifty hours.

Leaving with food, supplies and Christmas presents, Starliner was supposed to dock at the International Space Station (ISS). But very soon after takeoff, an internal clock problem launched the spacecraft into another orbit. His meeting point with the ISS was therefore missed.

This setback did not prevent officials from Boeing and NASA from welcoming some successes. " This mission allowed us to test all other aspects of the aircraft such as propulsion, takeoff or entry into the atmosphere, " said the vice president of the space branch of Boeing.

Manned trips planned from 2020

This space mission was the first of Boeing's crew . It intervenes before the start of the trips with astronauts planned for next year in collaboration with NASA.

The American space agency suspended its flights in 2011. Since then, it has been dependent on Russia, the only country to still send manned spacecraft. The semi-failure of the Boeing mission will further delay NASA projects. A new blow for the American giant already in crisis after the two accidents of its 737 MAX star plane.

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