The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had postponed planning the return trip until these tests were finalized.
An update disclosed last week indicated, “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 focused on reviewing the data.” The purpose of the test was to analyze thruster degradation in order to better understand the malfunction of some thrusters during the flight and the impact of reactivating them on the overall mission.
Officials explained that some thrusters were “de-selected,” meaning they ceased functioning. Helium tanks controlling the thrusters experienced leaks both before and during the launch, causing several delays. Despite having 70 hours of helium onboard, much more than the seven hours required, officials stated last month that while the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they are not fully prepared for that eventuality.
The latest information from NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might happen at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less specific, with officials announcing, “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will finalize the flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”