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VIDEO: Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft returns to Earth after abbreviated time in orbit

Boeing's Starliner, that will fly Starliner's Crew Flight Test, at the acoustic testing at Boeing's spacecraft test facilities in El Segundo, California. (NASA and Boeing/WikiCommons)

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth from orbit after a clock malfunction forced it to cut its test mission short.

The autonomous spacecraft was launched on Friday but an internal clock error caused it to return.

NASA described the Sunday morning landing in the New Mexico desert as a “bulleye.”

“This marks the 1st time an American-made, human-rated capsule has landed on land,” the space agency added.

The capsule slowed down from 25 times the speed of sound in just a few minutes while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere during its landing.

The Starliner was originally supposed to dock with the International Space Station and deliver supplies, but the flight control system fired at the wrong time shortly after launch on Friday.

While the craft was unmanned, Boeing says it will be able to shuttle up to five people to and from the ISS. NASA added that if there were astronauts on board, they would have had a smooth ride.

According to Boeing, the spacecraft’s internal clock was set incorrectly after it launched.

The craft was able to test life support and flight control functions while it was in orbit.

The Starliner’s next mission was scheduled to include a crew, but NASA did not say when or if that mission would occur.

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© 2019 New York Daily News