The team behind the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recently, ground tests for the spacecraft’s thrusters have been completed, which had kept it in space since early June. Boeing and NASA have been awaiting these tests to start planning the Starliner’s homebound journey.
An update released late last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The main goal of these tests was to observe any degradation in the thrusters, helping teams understand why some were inoperable during flight and evaluate the possible impacts of repairing them on the overall Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that became non-functional. Issues arose prior to and during the Starliner launch due to leaks in the helium tanks regulating the thrusters, causing several delays. Officials mentioned last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, although only seven hours are necessary. They indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if required, but they aren’t fully prepared for that to happen yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested a return flight could be scheduled for the end of this month. However, the timeline is less specific now: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and will proceed with finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”