The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received promising news regarding its return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which has left it in orbit since early June, has recently concluded. Boeing and NASA have been awaiting these test results to initiate plans for the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
An update provided 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 turning their attention to data reviews.” The purpose of the tests was to examine the degradation of the thrusters, which will help the teams understand why certain thrusters were deactivated during flight and evaluate the potential impact of reactivating them on the overall Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Prior to and during the launch of the Starliner, there were leaks in the helium tanks that control the thrusters, causing several delays. Officials noted in a press conference last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium on board, even though only seven hours are necessary. They indicated that while the craft could be brought back at any moment if required, they are not fully prepared for its return yet.
During the latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might be possible by the end of this month. However, the timeframe has become less specific: “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.”