The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recently completed ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, have paved the way for planning the return trip. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to conclude before making further arrangements.
An update from 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 focused on analyzing the data.” The purpose of these tests was to assess thruster performance and understand issues that led to some thrusters becoming inoperative during flight, which could influence their reactivation for the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters that failed to function properly. Issues arose with helium tanks meant to control the thrusters, causing leaks both before and during the Starliner launch, resulting in multiple delays. Officials indicated last month that although the spacecraft has a substantial helium supply, it only requires a fraction of that for its operations. While they stated earlier that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they also expressed that it is not yet fully prepared for re-entry.
NASA and Boeing have indicated that a return flight might occur at the end of this month, but the timeline has now become less specific. They stated, “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections and will finalize flight plans to ensure readiness for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”