The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in space since early June, were recently concluded, marking an important step for Boeing and NASA in planning the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
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 focusing on reviewing the data.” The primary goal of these tests was to assess thruster performance and understand the reasons behind some thrusters being rendered inoperable during flight, as well as the potential implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters were deemed “de-selected,” meaning they were nonfunctional. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks that control the thrusters exhibited leaks, resulting in multiple delays. Officials mentioned last month that the spacecraft contains 70 hours’ worth of helium, far exceeding the seven hours required for its operations. They indicated that while the craft could theoretically return at any moment if necessary, they are not fully prepared for that eventuality.
According to the latest information from NASA and Boeing, a potential return flight could be arranged by the end of this month. However, the timeline remains uncertain: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and work towards finalizing the flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s upcoming return to Earth, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams aboard in the coming weeks.”