The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in space since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results from these tests before planning the spacecraft’s journey home.
An official update shared last week indicated that ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, with teams now focusing on data analysis. The purpose of these tests was to assess thruster degradation and better understand why some thrusters were inactive during the flight, as well as the potential impacts of reactivating those thrusters on the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, there were issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters, causing several delays. Officials revealed last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, significantly more than the seven hours required for its operations. While they mentioned earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they noted that they are not fully prepared for that eventuality just yet.
In the last communication, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with the disassembly and inspection of the thrusters, and will finalize flight plans in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”