The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their spacecraft’s return to Earth. Ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests before making plans for the Starliner’s homecoming.
Last week, an update noted, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focused on reviewing the data.” The purpose of the tests was to examine the performance of the thrusters, particularly those that became inoperable during the mission.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues arose due to leaking helium tanks that manage the thrusters, causing several delays during the Starliner’s launch. Officials indicated that the spacecraft has a surplus of helium onboard, significantly more than it requires for its operation. While they stated earlier this month that the spacecraft could land if necessary, they also confirmed they are not fully prepared for that to happen just yet.
In their latest briefing, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur at the end of the month. However, they clarified that the timeline is less certain now: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams scheduled for the coming weeks.”