The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received a positive update regarding their return to Earth. Recently completed ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, is paving the way for the planning of its journey back. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the results of these tests before proceeding with return preparations.
An update provided last week confirmed, “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 reviewing the data.” The objective of the tests was to assess thruster degradation and understand why some thrusters were rendered inoperative during flight, as well as to evaluate the potential impact of reactivating these thrusters on the Crew Flight Test.
Officials indicated that “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. The helium tanks responsible for controlling the thrusters experienced leakage issues before and during the launch, which resulted in several delays. During a press conference last month, officials reported that the Starliner is equipped with 70 hours of helium, despite only requiring seven hours. They stated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return at any time if necessary, but emphasized that they are not fully prepared for that just yet.
The latest update suggested a potential 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 will advance towards finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”