The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their return to Earth. Ground tests on the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the conclusion of these tests to start planning the spacecraft’s journey back.
An update from last week announced, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now turning their attention to data reviews.” The goal of the tests was to observe any degradation in the thrusters, helping the teams understand why some were deactivated during flight and the potential effects of reactivating them on the overall Crew Flight Test.
“De-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, tanks containing helium, which operate the thrusters, experienced leaks, causing several delays. At a recent press conference, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium, though it only requires seven. They indicated that while the spacecraft could technically return now, they are not fully prepared for it yet.
NASA and Boeing had previously indicated that a return flight could occur at the end of this month, but the timeline has since become less certain. The statement continued, “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and progress with finalizing flight rationale to prepare for readiness reviews for Starliner’s return to Earth, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”