The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received some positive news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had intended to conduct these tests before initiating plans for the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
An update released last week indicated, “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 focusing on data reviews.” The aim of these tests was to assess any degradation of the thrusters, providing insights into why some units were deactivated during flight and understanding the potential impacts of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed to operate as intended. Issues arose from helium tanks that control the thrusters, which were leaking prior to and during the launch of the Starliner, leading to several delays. Officials previously mentioned that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only needing seven hours. While they indicated earlier this month that it could return at any time if necessary, they also noted that conditions are not yet optimal for a departure.
In the last update, NASA and Boeing suggested the return flight might occur at the end of this month, but the current timeline has become less specific. The statement continued, “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 upcoming weeks.”