The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. The recent completion of ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, was a significant step. Both Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to begin organizing the vehicle’s journey back home.
The testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster took place at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. An update shared last week noted that teams are now focusing on reviewing the data collected during these tests. The primary goal was to assess thruster performance degradation to better understand why certain thrusters failed during flight and to determine any implications of reintegrating them into service for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to those thrusters that became nonoperational. The helium tanks responsible for controlling the thrusters experienced leaks prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, which contributed to a series of delays. Officials indicated that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only needing seven hours for its current mission. While it was mentioned that the Starliner could return if necessary, officials also indicated that they are not yet prepared for that eventuality.
In the latest communication from NASA and Boeing, they stated that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, this timeline has since become less definitive. The update concluded with the information that Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with the disassembly and inspection of the thrusters and work toward completing the necessary reviews for the Starliner’s safe return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.