The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received positive news regarding their impending return to Earth. Recent tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to proceed with plans for the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update from last week confirmed the successful ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The focus now shifts to reviewing the data gathered during the tests. The aim was to investigate the reasons behind the failure of some thrusters during flight and assess the potential effects of reactivating them for the spacecraft’s return.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters caused leaks both before and during launch, resulting in several delays. Officials indicated last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium available, even though it only requires seven for its operations. While they stated earlier this month that the Starliner could return at any time if necessary, they also noted that they are not fully prepared for that eventuality.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific. Engineers from both companies will now disassemble and inspect the thrusters and work on finalizing the flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for the Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.