The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their upcoming return to Earth. Recent completion of ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, paves the way for Boeing and NASA to strategize the vehicle’s homecoming.
According to an update from last week, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has been completed, and teams are now focusing on data analysis.” The objective of these tests was to assess thruster performance to understand better the reasons behind the in-flight deselection of certain thrusters and the potential impacts of reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed to operate as intended. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, there were issues with leaks in the helium tanks that control these thrusters, which caused several delays. Officials reported last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, whereas it only requires seven hours for its operations. Although they indicated earlier this month that the ship could return immediately if necessary, they noted that they are not yet fully prepared for its landing.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur at the end of this month, but the timeline has since become less specific. “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with the disassembly and inspection of the thrusters and will finalize the flight rationale to prepare for readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”