The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their return to Earth. The recent completion of ground testing on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, allows Boeing and NASA to now start planning for its return.
An update released last week confirmed, “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 main goal of the testing was to study any degradation of the thrusters, aiming to understand why some became non-operational during flight and assessing the potential implications of reactivating those thrusters for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. There were leaks in the helium tanks controlling the thrusters before and during the Starliner launch, which led to several delays. Officials stated last month that the spacecraft has enough helium onboard for 70 hours, despite only needing seven. They indicated earlier this month that while the spacecraft could theoretically return to Earth immediately, they prefer to wait until it is fully ready.
NASA and Boeing had previously suggested that a return flight could happen at the end of October, but the current timeline is less specific. “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will finalize flight rationale to prepare for readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”