The team behind the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding the spacecraft’s upcoming return to Earth. Recently completed ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented its return since early June, allow Boeing and NASA to start planning for its re-entry.
The latest update mentioned, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on reviewing the data.” The objective of these tests was to assess thruster degradation to better understand why certain thrusters failed during flight and to evaluate any potential effects of reactivating those thrusters on the Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters had to be “de-selected,” meaning they malfunctioned, partly due to leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters before and during the Starliner launch, which caused several delays. Although officials confirmed last month that the spacecraft carries 70 hours’ worth of helium, significantly more than the seven hours it requires, they stated that while it could return at any moment, they are not yet prepared for that eventuality.
In their latest position, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight might take place by the end of this month. Currently, however, the timeline is less precise: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will proceed with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s anticipated return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”