The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. The spacecraft, which has been in orbit since early June, recently completed ground testing of its thrusters. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to begin planning the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update released last week noted, “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 any degradation in the thrusters, allowing teams to understand why some thrusters were deactivated during the flight and to evaluate potential impacts of reactivating them.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks controlling the thrusters experienced leaks, causing several delays. Officials mentioned in a press conference last month that while the spacecraft contains 70 hours of helium, it only needs seven for operational purposes. Earlier this month, they indicated that the craft could return if necessary, though they stated they were not fully prepared for that eventuality.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could occur by the end of this month, but they have now provided a more ambiguous timeline. They stated, “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.”