Starliner Set for Earthbound Journey: What’s Next for Boeing’s Crew?

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The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return trip to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which has kept it in space since early June, has recently been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to start planning the vessel’s journey back home.

A recent update indicated that ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has been finalized, with teams now focusing on reviewing the collected data. The purpose of the test was to analyze thruster degradation to better understand why some thrusters were inoperative during the flight and to assess the ramifications of potentially reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.

“De-selected” refers to certain thrusters that became non-functional. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in several delays. Officials had previously mentioned that the spacecraft is equipped with 70 hours’ worth of helium, despite requiring only seven hours for operations. While they stated it could return immediately if necessary, they also noted that preparations are still ongoing.

In a prior update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific, as stated: “Boeing and NASA engineers will begin disassembling and inspecting the thrusters while simultaneously finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s anticipated return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”

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