The team behind the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding the spacecraft’s upcoming return to Earth. Recently, the ground tests for the spacecraft’s thrusters were completed, which had left the Starliner in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the outcome of these tests to begin coordinating the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update issued late last week confirmed that the testing of the Starliner’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, with teams now focusing on analyzing the data. The purpose of the tests was to assess any potential degradation of the thrusters, which would help understand why some failed during the flight and what implications reactivating them might have on the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased to operate. Prior to and during the launch, there were issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters, resulting in several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft contains 70 hours of helium, far exceeding the seven hours required. Although they indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they also stated that they were not yet fully prepared for its arrival.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and move forward with finalizing flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews ahead of Starliner’s expected return to Earth, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, in the coming weeks.”