The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding their anticipated return to Earth. Recently, ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters was completed, marking a significant step in preparations for the vessel’s homecoming. Since early June, the Starliner has remained in orbit, awaiting these crucial tests conducted by Boeing and NASA.
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 focusing on data reviews.” The aim of the tests was to assess thruster degradation, allowing the teams to understand why some thrusters were de-selected during flight and to evaluate the potential impacts of reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters that became non-operational. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, there were issues with the helium tanks that control these thrusters, resulting in multiple delays. Officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, despite only requiring seven hours for its current operations. While they indicated that the Starliner could return to Earth if necessary, they also stated that there is no immediate plan for its re-entry.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could be possible by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less defined: “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.”