Starliner Readies for Earth Return: What’s Next for Boeing and NASA?

The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been successfully completed. This testing was essential for Boeing and NASA to formulate plans for the Starliner’s homecoming.

An update released late 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 purpose of the tests was to assess thruster performance degradation to understand why some thrusters were inoperative during flight and to determine the potential effects of reactivating them on the overall mission.

The term “de-selected” refers to the failure of some thrusters to function. Problems with the helium tanks that control the thrusters, which leaked before and during the Starliner’s launch, caused several mission delays. At a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium on board, despite only needing seven for actual operation. Earlier this month, they indicated that the spacecraft could return at any time if required, but they emphasized that they are not fully prepared for its return just yet.

In their latest communication, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could be possible at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will 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.”

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