The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. The ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which has left it stranded in orbit since early June, has recently concluded. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the completion of these tests before initiating plans for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update from last week confirmed, “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 tests aimed to assess thruster performance and understand why certain thrusters were rendered inoperable during flight, along with evaluating the potential ramifications of reactivating those thrusters for the ongoing Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. Issues arose with the helium tanks that control the thrusters, which were found to be leaking before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. At a press conference held last month, officials mentioned that the spacecraft carries 70 hours’ worth of helium, despite only needing seven. Although they initially stated that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they indicated that further preparations are still required.
NASA and Boeing’s last update suggested that a return flight might be scheduled for the end of this month. However, the timeline is now more uncertain: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and will progress towards finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”