The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received a potential boost regarding their return to Earth, as recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been completed. The Starliner has been stranded in orbit since early June, and both Boeing and NASA were awaiting these tests to initiate plans for its homecoming.
According to an update, teams have finished testing the Starliner’s Reaction Control System thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and are now focused on analyzing the data collected. The primary goal of this testing was to identify thruster degradation to understand why certain thrusters were deactivated during flight and what effects returning them to service might have on the Crew Flight Test.
“De-selected” refers to some thrusters that failed to operate correctly. Issues arose from leaks in the helium tanks that regulate the thrusters, causing several launch delays. Although officials mentioned last month that the spacecraft has sufficient helium for 70 hours of operation—far more than the seven hours required—they indicated they are not fully prepared for the ship’s immediate return.
The previous announcement suggested a potential return flight by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific. Engineers from Boeing and NASA plan to dismantle and inspect the thrusters, and they will continue to work on finalizing the flight rationale to support readiness reviews for the Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.