The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these tests to begin planning for the Starliner’s homecoming.
An update provided last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The testing aimed to understand the degradation of some thrusters that were disabled during flight and to assess the potential impact of reactivating them on the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased to function. Problems arose with the helium tanks controlling these thrusters, which experienced leaks before and during the Starliner launch, causing several delays. Officials mentioned that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, although only seven hours are needed. While they indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return at any time if necessary, they also remarked that they aren’t fully prepared for that eventuality yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has shifted slightly: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and advance toward finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”