The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in space since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to plan the Starliner’s homecoming.
An update from last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The objective of the test was to assess the condition of the thrusters to understand why some were not operational during flight and to evaluate any potential effects of reactivating those thrusters on the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. During the launch, the helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leaks, which led to several delays. Officials indicated last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium on board, even though it only requires seven for a return trip. While they mentioned earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if needed, they clarified that it is not yet fully prepared for re-entry.
Following the latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight might take place at the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and will move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”