The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, has recently been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests before planning the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update from last week reported, “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 monitor thruster performance and gain insight into why some thrusters failed during the mission, as well as to evaluate the potential effects of bringing those thrusters back into service.
Officials explained that “de-selected” refers to thrusters that stopped functioning during the flight. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, helium tanks essential for thruster control experienced leaks, which resulted in multiple delays. Although officials stated last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard—far more than the seven hours required—they indicated they are not yet fully prepared for a return.
NASA and Boeing previously mentioned that a return flight might occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and will continue to finalize flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”