The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew received encouraging news regarding their imminent return to Earth. Recent tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have been operational since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA had anticipated this milestone before initiating plans for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An announcement late 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 these tests was to analyze thruster performance and understand the reasons behind the in-flight failure of some thrusters, as well as the potential implications of bringing those thrusters back into service.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, the helium tanks responsible for controlling the thrusters experienced leakage, which contributed to various delays. At a recent press conference, officials revealed that the spacecraft is equipped with 70 hours’ worth of helium, despite only requiring seven hours for its operations. While they indicated that the craft could theoretically return at any moment if necessary, they also noted that they are not prepared for an immediate landing.
NASA and Boeing previously mentioned that a return flight could be feasible by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific as teams continue to work. “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,” the update concluded.