The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these tests to begin planning for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update indicated that the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is finished, allowing teams to focus on data analysis. The primary goal of the tests was to observe thruster performance issues, aiming to understand why some thrusters were not operational during flight and to assess the potential impact of bringing those thrusters back online for the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters ceasing to function. There were leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters both before and during the Starliner’s launch, which contributed to several delays. At a recent press conference, officials mentioned that the spacecraft has enough helium for 70 hours of operation, though only 7 hours are required. They noted that while the craft could return immediately if necessary, they are not yet prepared for it to do so.
In previous updates, NASA and Boeing stated that a return flight might occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since 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.”