The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding its return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests before finalizing plans for the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update released last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on reviewing the data.” The goal of these tests was to investigate issues related to thruster performance, as some of them were rendered inoperative during flight. This malfunction was attributed to leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters, resulting in several delays prior to the Starliner’s launch.
At a press conferenceheld last month, officials noted the spacecraft is equipped with 70 hours of helium, although it only requires seven for its operations. While they mentioned that the Starliner could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they have indicated that they are not fully prepared for that eventuality just yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could occur by the end of the month. However, the timeline has since become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will carry out thruster disassembly and inspections, and will continue to finalize flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”