The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received some positive news regarding their return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been concluded. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the completion of these tests to start planning for the vehicle’s homecoming.
An update released last week stated, “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 purpose of the tests was to examine any degradation in the thrusters and understand why some of them failed during the flight, as well as assess the potential impact of reactivating those thrusters on the overall Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters that stopped functioning due to leaks in the helium tanks that control them, causing multiple launch delays. Officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only needing seven. Although they mentioned earlier this month that the spacecraft could return if necessary, they stated that they are not fully prepared for that just yet.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return mission might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific, with Boeing and NASA engineers set to conduct thruster dissections and inspections while finalizing preparations for the Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.