Boeing Starliner mission to splash down, not land

NASA's former plan for a dry landing has changed back to splashdown.

The Boeing Starliner crew capsule will splash down in the ocean at the end of its upcoming crewed flight test, NASA and Boeing announced Thursday (March 2).

A different course of action.

The change from a planned runway landing to a splashdown was made after NASA and Boeing conducted a detailed risk assessment, the agencies said in a statement. The risk assessment found that a splashdown is the "safest and most practical" option for the Starliner's first crewed flight, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT).