The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have been non-operational since early June, has been completed. This testing was a prerequisite for Boeing and NASA to plan the vessel’s return home.
An update released last week indicated, “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 objective of the tests was to investigate why some thrusters were not operational during the flight and to assess the potential impact of bringing those thrusters back online for the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
Officials clarified that the term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that had malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, leaks were found in the helium tanks that power the thrusters, causing several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, although only seven hours are required for its operation. Earlier this month, they stated that the craft could return home if necessary, but indicated that they were not fully prepared for that eventuality.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and continue working on the flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”