The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received some encouraging news regarding their impending return to Earth. Recently, ground tests for the spacecraft’s thrusters were successfully completed, which have kept it in space since early June. Boeing and NASA had been waiting for these test results to start planning for the spacecraft’s return journey.
An announcement from 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 turning their attention to data reviews.” The testing aimed to assess thruster degradation to understand why certain thrusters were rendered inoperative during the mission and to evaluate the potential effects of reinstating them on the overall Crew Flight Test performance.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed to operate. There were issues with the helium tanks that control the thrusters, which experienced leaks prior to and during the launch, resulting in several delays. Officials mentioned during a press conference last month that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium on board, although it requires only seven. They indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, but they are not fully prepared for its return just yet.
In the most recent update from NASA and Boeing, a possible return flight by the end of this month was hinted at. However, the timeline has now become less specific: “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 nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”