The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recently completed ground tests of the craft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, have paved the way for Boeing and NASA to begin planning for its journey home.
An update from late 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 turning their attention to data reviews.” The primary goal of the test was to investigate thruster degradation, allowing teams to better understand why some thrusters were inactive during flight and to assess the implications of reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to certain thrusters that failed to function. Issues with helium tanks, which control the thrusters, led to leaks both before and during the launch, causing several delays. Officials indicated that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium available, though it only requires seven to complete its mission. While earlier statements suggested the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, officials noted they are not quite prepared for that contingency yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, this timeline has become less specific: “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.”