The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Recently, tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters were completed, which had kept it in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to be finalized before making plans for the vehicle’s homeward journey.
An update released late last week confirmed the completion of ground testing for a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, with teams now focusing on analyzing the collected data. The primary goal of the test was to assess thruster degradation, providing insights into why certain thrusters failed during flight and the implications of reusing them for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the failure of some thrusters during operation. Issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters resulted in leaks before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. At a recent press conference, officials noted that the spacecraft carries 70 hours’ worth of helium, while only seven hours are required for its operation. Although they indicated earlier this month that the craft could return immediately if necessary, they clarified that it is not fully prepared to do so.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur by the end of this month. However, the timeframe has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections and will finalize flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”