The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these test results before planning the ship’s homeward journey.
An update provided last week mentioned, “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 testing aimed to assess thruster degradation to better understand why certain thrusters were not functional during flight and what effects reactivating them might have on the overall Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to certain thrusters that malfunctioned. Issues with helium tanks controlling the thrusters led to leaks both before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, despite only needing seven hours. They indicated that while the craft could theoretically return right now if necessary, they are not yet prepared for that scenario.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight could occur at the end of this month, but the timeline has since become less defined. “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, while also finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks,” the statement concluded.