The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recently, successful ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters were completed, which have kept the Starliner in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to finalize plans for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update provided last week confirmed that the testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, and teams are now focused on reviewing the data. The primary goal of the testing was to evaluate the degradation of the thrusters to understand the reasons behind certain thrusters being “de-selected” during flight and to assess any potential impact of reinstating those thrusters on the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
“De-selected” refers to the malfunctioning thrusters. During and prior to the Starliner’s launch, the helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leakage, causing multiple delays. Officials previously stated that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, although only 7 hours are needed for immediate function. While NASA and Boeing mentioned earlier this month that the craft could return now if required, they noted that they are not entirely prepared for a return at this point.
In the latest update, it was indicated that a return flight could potentially occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less precise. Boeing and NASA engineers will now disassemble the thrusters and conduct inspections, gearing up for readiness reviews for the Starliner’s planned return to Earth, which will involve commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.