The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to start planning the vehicle’s journey back.
An update shared last week stated, “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 purpose of the tests was to understand why some thrusters failed during flight and to assess the potential implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that either malfunctioned or ceased to work. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks responsible for controlling these thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in several delays. Officials mentioned last month that although the spacecraft contains 70 hours’ worth of helium, it only requires seven hours for its operations. They indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return to Earth if necessary, but they are still in the process of ensuring everything is ready for the return.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing indicated that a return flight could potentially occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline appears less defined now: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward 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.”