The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to plan the spacecraft’s homecoming.
The completed testing at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico aimed to evaluate thruster degradation. This information will help determine the reasons some thrusters were inactive during the flight and assess the potential impact of bringing those thrusters back into service for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters had been “de-selected,” meaning they ceased functioning due to helium leaks in the tanks that control them before and during launch, resulting in several delays. Officials had indicated last month that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium on board, despite only needing seven hours. While they mentioned earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they clarified that they are not ready for that to happen just yet.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might take place at the end of this month, but now the timeline appears less specific. The engineers will undertake thruster disassembly and inspections and continue refining the flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth, which will include commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.