Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft may soon return to Earth following the successful completion of ground testing on its thrusters. The spacecraft has been in orbit since early June, and Boeing, along with NASA, had been waiting for these tests to plan its homecoming.
An update shared last week confirmed that testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, and teams are now focused on analyzing the data. The aim of the tests was to understand the reasons behind the in-flight malfunction of some thrusters and assess any potential impacts of reactivating them on the overall mission.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that failed to operate, which had occurred due to leaking helium tanks both prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. Officials indicated that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium on board, far exceeding the seven hours it requires. While they mentioned earlier that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they clarified that they are not yet fully prepared for that scenario.
The most recent update from NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could be scheduled for the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific, stating that teams will proceed with the disassembly and inspection of the thrusters, moving forward to finalize preparations for Starliner’s anticipated return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the weeks ahead.