The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news about their return to Earth. After extensive earthbound testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which had kept it in space since early June, Boeing and NASA are now ready to initiate plans for the vessel’s return journey.
An update from late last week indicated that ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has been completed. The focus now shifts to reviewing the data collected. The primary aim of the tests was to understand the thruster degradation observed in-flight and determine the potential impacts of returning those thrusters to service on the overall Crew Flight Test.
During the spacecraft’s launch, some of the thrusters stopped functioning, and helium tanks meant to control them were found to be leaking. Despite having 70 hours’ worth of helium on board, which is substantially more than the seven hours needed, officials are still preparing for a safe return rather than rushing the process.
While NASA and Boeing had previously suggested a return flight by the end of the month, the timeline has become more flexible. Engineers will now proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and work on finalizing the flight rationale to support readiness reviews. The Starliner, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, is expected to return to Earth within the coming weeks.