The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. The completion of ground tests for the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, has paved the way for planning the vessel’s homeward journey.
Recent updates indicate that the testing of the Starliner’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, allowing teams to focus on analyzing the data. The primary goal of the tests was to assess thruster degradation, giving teams insights into why certain thrusters were rendered inoperative during flight, and to understand the ramifications of potentially reactivating those thrusters for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues arose when the helium tanks controlling the thrusters experienced leaks prior to and during the launch, resulting in multiple postponements. Officials had previously stated that the spacecraft was equipped with 70 hours of helium, despite only needing seven for operation. While they mentioned earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, they clarified that they are not yet fully prepared for the return.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight might happen by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specified: “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.”