The crew aboard the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recently, Earth-based testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been completed. This comes after the Starliner has been stuck in space since early June, and Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these tests before finalizing plans for the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update issued late last week confirmed that the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, allowing teams to focus on analyzing the data collected. The primary goal of these tests was to observe any degradation in the thrusters, providing insights into why some were deactivated during the flight and assessing the potential effects of reintegrating those thrusters for the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, the helium tanks that regulate the thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in several delays. At a press conference last month, officials indicated that the ship carries 70 hours’ worth of helium, significantly more than the seven hours it requires. Although it was stated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, officials emphasized that they are not yet prepared for that to happen.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight could be anticipated at the end of the month. However, the timeline has now become less specific, as they stated: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, moving forward to finalize flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s expected return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”