The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, has recently been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the outcome of these tests to begin organizing the vehicle’s homecoming.
An update released last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now turning their attention to data reviews.” The main aim of the test was to investigate thruster degradation, helping teams understand the reasons behind the in-flight failures of some thrusters and assessing the potential impacts of returning those thrusters to operational status for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues arose during the launch due to leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters, resulting in multiple delays. Officials noted in a press conference last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium on board, despite requiring only seven hours. While they previously mentioned that the Starliner could return if necessary, they also indicated that it’s not yet time for that decision.
In the latest communication, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could be scheduled for the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”