The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. The company has successfully completed ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in space since early June. Boeing and NASA had been waiting for these tests to finalize plans for the vessel’s homecoming.
An update published 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 turning their attention to data reviews.” The objective of the testing was to assess thruster degradation to understand the reasons behind the in-flight failure of some thrusters and the potential implications of reinstating them for the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that stopped functioning. Issues arose from leaks in the helium tanks controlling the thrusters, which led to several delays before and during the Starliner launch. Officials mentioned that the spacecraft carries 70 hours’ worth of helium, despite only needing seven. While they indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they also stated that they are not fully prepared for the return.
As of the most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a 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 move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”