The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept the vehicle in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to conclude before planning the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update released 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 focused on reviewing the data.” The primary goal of the tests was to analyze thruster performance degradation to understand why some thrusters became inoperative during the flight and assess any potential impacts of reactivating those thrusters on the rest of the Crew Flight Test.
Officials indicated that “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that stopped functioning. The helium tanks that manage the thrusters experienced leaks prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, causing multiple delays. Despite previously stating that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, officials noted that they are not yet ready for a return.
NASA and Boeing have suggested that a return flight could occur at the end of this month; however, the timeline has become less precise. The latest communication confirmed, “Boeing and NASA engineers will move forward with disassembling and inspecting the thrusters and finalizing preparations for the readiness reviews related to Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the weeks ahead.”