Starliner Steers Toward Earth: What’s Next for the Crew?

The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their return home. Earth-based tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, have recently been completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to plan the Starliner’s journey back to Earth.

According to an update released last week, the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, and engineers are now focused on reviewing the data. The purpose of the tests was to analyze thruster degradation to understand why some thrusters were disabled during flight and to assess any effects of reactivating those thrusters on the upcoming Crew Flight Test.

The term “de-selected” refers to some thrusters that ceased functioning. There were issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters, which leaked before and during the launch, resulting in several delays. Officials stated last month that the spacecraft contains 70 hours of helium, although it only requires seven. While they mentioned earlier this month that the Starliner could return immediately if necessary, they indicated that it wasn’t quite ready for that.

In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested a potential return flight at the end of this month, but the timeline has since become less specific. They announced that Boeing and NASA engineers will now disassemble and inspect the thrusters and finalize the rationale for the flight as they prepare for the Starliner’s return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.

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