The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding its return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in space since early June, have been successfully completed. This milestone allows Boeing and NASA to begin planning for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
According to a recent update, “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 purpose of the tests was to assess thruster degradation and to understand why some thrusters were non-operational during flight, along with evaluating the potential impacts of restoring them.
Some of the thrusters were termed “de-selected” which indicates that they had malfunctioned. The helium tanks controlling these thrusters were found to be leaking both before and during the Starliner launch, causing several delays. Officials mentioned in a press conference last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium, although only seven hours are needed for the mission. While it was previously stated that the craft could return immediately if necessary, officials noted that preparations for the return are still ongoing.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less defined. “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.”