Boeing's new Starliner unmanned
spacecraft returned to Earth on Sunday, landing in the New
Mexico desert in the
United States six days early after a clock problem scuppered a rendezvous with the International Space Station.
NASA hailed the aborted flight as a success, despite its failure to reach the ISS on what was meant to be a final dress rehearsal before a crewed mission.
Images broadcast by
NASA showed the spacecraft touching down, cushioned by airbags, after a pre-dawn descent slowed by three large parachutes.