The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the conclusion of these tests to initiate plans for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An update announced late 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 focusing on data reviews.” The purpose of the test was to examine thruster degradation, helping the teams understand why some thrusters malfunctioned during flight and the implications of potentially reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that lost functionality. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, there were issues with the helium tanks controlling the thrusters, which caused several delays. Officials mentioned last month that while the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of onboard helium, it only requires seven. Earlier this month, they indicated that the craft could return if necessary, though they emphasized they were not fully prepared for that scenario yet.
In the latest communication, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and continue finalizing flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”