The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received a positive update regarding its return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA awaited the results of these tests to begin planning the return trip.
An announcement late last week confirmed, “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 primary goal of the test was to assess thruster performance and understand why some thrusters were not operational during flight, as well as to evaluate the potential impact of reactivating those thrusters on the ongoing Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters were deemed non-operational, or “de-selected,” due to leaking helium tanks before and during the Starliner launch, which caused several delays. Officials stated last month that the spacecraft currently holds 70 hours’ worth of helium, far exceeding its actual requirement of seven hours. Although they indicated that the spacecraft could return now if necessary, they also noted that it is not yet fully prepared for that.
As of the latest information, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could occur at the end of this month, but the timeline has since become less precise. “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and continue with finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s anticipated return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”