The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Recently, ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters were completed, which had kept the vehicle in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the completion of these tests to begin planning for the Starliner’s homecoming.
The testing of the Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is now finished, and teams will review the data collected. The primary goal of the tests was to evaluate the performance of the thrusters, particularly to understand why some of them were disabled during the flight and assess the implications of reactivating them for the spacecraft’s upcoming flight.
Certain thrusters were identified as “de-selected,” indicating that they malfunctioned. Prior to and during the launch of Starliner, the helium tanks that regulate the thrusters experienced leaks, causing several delays. Officials noted that while the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium available, it only requires seven for its return. Although they indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could safely return to Earth if necessary, they expressed that they are not fully prepared for that to happen just yet.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing stated that a return flight could potentially occur by the end of this month; however, the timeline is now more uncertain. The teams will continue with the disassembly and inspection of the thrusters and work on finalizing the flight plan in preparation for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.