The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their journey back to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been completed, which has been crucial since the spacecraft has been in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA were awaiting these tests to plan the Starliner’s return trip.
An update provided by officials 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 turning their attention to data reviews.” The purpose of the tests was to assess thruster performance and understand the reasons behind the in-flight failures of some thrusters, as well as the implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, the helium tanks used to control the thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in multiple delays. At a recent press conference, officials confirmed that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, although only seven hours are needed for its operation. While they stated that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, they indicated that they are not fully prepared for its return just yet.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could potentially occur at the end of this month. However, the timeframe for this has become less precise: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and continue to finalize flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth, featuring commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, in the coming weeks.”