The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Recent testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have been inactive since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to start planning the Starliner’s return journey.
According to an update shared last week, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now turning their attention to data reviews.” The primary aim of this testing was to investigate the degradation of the thrusters, allowing teams to better understand the reasons behind the in-flight failures of certain thrusters and to assess whether reinstating them could impact the overall success of the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks controlling these thrusters had leaks, resulting in several delays. Officials mentioned that the spacecraft contains 70 hours’ worth of helium when only seven hours are required. Although they indicated that the craft could return immediately if necessary, they also noted that it’s not quite ready for a homecoming.
In the latest announcement, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will finalize flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”