The Boeing CST-100 Starliner mission is showing signs of progress towards returning home. Recently completed ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have paved the way for Boeing and NASA to plan the return trip.
An update from last week indicated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now turning their attention to data reviews.” The purpose of these tests was to examine the degradation of the thrusters, which will help engineers understand why some thrusters malfunctioned during the flight and assess the viability of reactivating them for use.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed to operate as intended. Helium tanks meant to manage the thrusters experienced leaks before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. Officials mentioned that the spacecraft currently holds 70 hours’ worth of helium while only requiring seven for operations. Previously, they noted that while the craft could return immediately, it is not yet fully prepared for that action.
In a prior update, NASA and Boeing had suggested a potential return flight by the end of this month. Currently, the timeline is less definitive: “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.”