The Boeing CST-100 Starliner team has received encouraging news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recently, ground tests of the Starliner’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, were completed. Boeing and NASA had awaited these tests before moving forward with plans for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update from last week indicated that the tests at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico aimed to evaluate the degradation of the thrusters. This evaluation is critical for understanding the reasons behind the in-flight failure of some thrusters and the implications of possibly reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” was used by officials to refer to thrusters that ceased functioning. The helium tanks necessary for thruster operation experienced leaks prior to and during the Starliner launch, causing several delays. Despite having an ample supply of helium onboard—70 hours’ worth compared to the seven hours needed for operation—officials stated last month that while the vehicle could return to Earth if necessary, they were not yet prepared for that eventuality.
As of the latest update from NASA and Boeing, a return flight was anticipated for the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific, with the statement that “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.”