The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recently completed ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in space since early June, marks a significant step forward. Boeing and NASA have been awaiting the results of these tests to begin organizing the ship’s return journey.
A statement from last week announced, “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 aim of the tests was to assess thruster degradation and understand the reasons behind the in-flight failure of some thrusters, as well as the potential implications of reactivating them for the rest of the Crew Flight Test.
“De-selected” thrusters refer to those that malfunctioned. Leaks were detected in the helium tanks controlling the thrusters before and during the Starliner launch, resulting in several delays. Officials mentioned that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, although it only requires seven hours. While it was stated earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, readiness for its return is still being finalized.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight might occur by the end of the month. However, the timeline has now become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and advance towards finalizing flight rationale for readiness reviews aimed at Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”