Boeing successfully tests Starliner space capsule abort system

Boeing's Starliner crew capsule successfully performed an emergency abort test Monday, meeting a key requirement before it can take US astronauts to the International Space Station as early as next year.

The test took place in the New Mexico desert at the White Sands Missile Range and lasted around 95 seconds.

The Starliner was set on a small launch pad with four engines to simulate an emergency in which the capsule -- attached to the top of a rocket -- would need to quickly separate to bring the astronauts safely back to Earth.

Its four engines ignited and blasted the Starliner at full speed to the sky. After 20 seconds its parachutes deployed and the spacecraft gently drifted to the ground, landing on the desert floor cushioned by large air bags.

"The test team and spacecraft performed flawlessly," said Starliner program manager John Mulholland.

"Emergency scenario testing is very complex, and today our team validated that the spacecraft will keep our crew safe in the unlikely event