The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which has left it stranded in space since early June, has been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests before planning the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update revealed, “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 data reviews.” The primary objective of these tests was to assess thruster performance to better understand why some thrusters were inoperative during flight and to evaluate any implications of bringing those thrusters back into service for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to certain thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues arose with the helium tanks that control the thrusters, leading to leakage both before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. Officials highlighted last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only needing seven. While they indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, they clarified that preparations for the return are not yet complete.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less defined: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and will continue finalizing flight reasoning in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”