The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received promising news regarding its return to Earth. The recent completion of ground testing for the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in space since early June, allows Boeing and NASA to begin planning the return trip.
A statement from late last week indicated that the testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico had finished, and the teams are now focusing on reviewing the data. The purpose of these tests was to observe any degradation of the thrusters to understand why some were disabled during the flight and assess any potential impacts of reactivating them.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks, which regulate the thrusters, experienced leaks, resulting in multiple delays. Although officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard—far exceeding its requirement of seven hours—they stated that while it could technically return now if necessary, they are not yet ready for that scenario.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might be possible at the end of this month, but 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,” the statement added.