The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew is receiving positive news regarding their eventual return home. Recently completed ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has paved the way for planning the vehicle’s journey back.
An update from 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 focused on reviewing the data.” The primary aim of these tests was to assess thruster degradation to better understand why some thrusters were inactive during flight and any potential effects of reactivating them on the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed during the mission. Helium tanks controlling these thrusters were found to be leaking prior to and during the launch, which caused delays. Last month, officials mentioned that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only requiring seven. While they indicated that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they also expressed that it isn’t quite ready yet for landing.
The latest communication from NASA and Boeing suggested a potential return flight by the end of October, but the timeline has since become less certain. They revealed that engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, as well as finalizing the flight rationale needed for readiness reviews ahead of the Starliner’s expected return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.