The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Recent tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to start planning the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update provided last week stated, “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 primary goal of the tests was to assess thruster degradation, allowing teams to better understand the issues that led to some thrusters being deactivated during the flight and the potential effects of reactivating them.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, there were leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters, which contributed to multiple delays. NASA officials mentioned last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium available, despite needing only seven for its operations. While it was indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, officials emphasized that they are not yet fully prepared for that return.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight could be possible toward the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “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.”