The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Testing on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Both Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to begin planning the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update provided recently indicated that the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, and the teams are now focusing on reviewing the data. The primary goal of the testing was to observe any thruster degradation, which would help explain why some thrusters were deactivated during the flight and assess the potential impacts of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that became inoperable during the mission. Issues with helium tanks, which control the thrusters, caused leaks both before and during the launch of Starliner, resulting in several delays. Officials had previously noted that the spacecraft holds 70 hours of helium, despite only requiring seven. While they confirmed last month that the craft could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they also indicated that they are not fully prepared for that eventuality.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing hinted that a return flight could occur at the end of this month, although the timeline is now less defined. Engineers will now proceed with disassembling and inspecting the thrusters, as well as finalizing the flight rationale necessary for readiness reviews concerning Starliner’s planned return to Earth, with Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams on board in the weeks ahead.