The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner may be closer to returning home, following the successful completion of ground testing for the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the outcome of these tests to begin planning for the vessel’s return.
An update released recently highlighted that the testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded. Teams are now focusing on reviewing the data collected during the tests. The objective was to examine any degradation in the thrusters to better understand why some were rendered inoperable during flight and assess the potential impacts of reactivating those thrusters for the remaining stages of the Crew Flight Test.
Officials explained that some thrusters were “de-selected,” meaning they ceased functioning. Issues arose regarding the helium tanks that control the thrusters, with leaks reported both prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, which caused several delays. Last month, officials noted that the spacecraft is equipped with 70 hours of helium, far exceeding the seven hours it typically requires. Although they indicated the craft could return immediately if necessary, they stated that it isn’t quite ready for reentry.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested a possible return flight by the end of this month, but the timeline has become less definitive. Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, progressing towards finalizing the flight rationale necessary for readiness reviews ahead of Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.