The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which had been inactive since early June, has been completed. Both Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the outcome of these tests to start planning the Starliner’s homecoming.
An update released late last week revealed, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The tests aimed to analyze thruster performance to understand better why some thrusters were deactivated during the flight and assess any potential effects of reintegrating them into service.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. There were issues with helium tanks controlling the thrusters, leading to several delays prior to and during the launch. At a press conference last month, officials mentioned that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium onboard, while only seven hours are needed. Although they indicated that the spacecraft could return immediately if required, they are not fully prepared for that to happen just yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested that the 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 continue with finalizing 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.”