The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which has kept it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these tests before planning the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update from late last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now turning their attention to data reviews.” The primary goal of the tests was to assess thruster performance issues, specifically understanding why some thrusters malfunctioned during flight and evaluating the potential impacts of reactivating them.
Some thrusters were classified as “de-selected” after ceasing to operate. Issues arose with helium tanks controlling these thrusters, which experienced leaks prior to and during the Starliner launch, causing several delays. Officials confirmed last month that the spacecraft contains 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, despite only requiring seven. While they stated earlier this month that the craft could return immediately if necessary, they indicated that they are not fully prepared for that option yet.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”