The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding its return to Earth. Ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, has recently concluded. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these tests to initiate plans for the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update released late last week confirmed, “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 purpose of the tests was to examine any thruster degradation to gain insights into why some thrusters were not operational during the flight and to assess the implications of restoring those thrusters for the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
Officials clarified that “de-selected” refers to thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, the helium tanks responsible for controlling the thrusters experienced leaks, causing several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the craft is equipped with 70 hours of helium, although it only requires seven to operate. While they indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they also mentioned that they are not quite ready for its departure.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeframe has shifted to a broader prediction: “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.”