The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew is receiving encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have been in a state of limbo since early June, has been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the completion of these tests before initiating plans for the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
An update from last week noted, “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 primary goal of the testing was to assess thruster performance and determine the reasons behind the in-flight failures of some thrusters, as well as the potential implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters were disabled during the mission due to malfunctions, which were related to leaking helium tanks that control the thrusters. During a press conference last month, officials mentioned that the Starliner has sufficient helium reserves for its operations, with 70 hours’ worth on board, even though only seven hours are required. They indicated earlier this month that while the craft could technically return now if necessary, they prefer to hold off until everything is ready.
The latest update indicates that NASA and Boeing are still eyeing a possible return flight by the end of this month; however, the timeline has become less specific. Boeing and NASA engineers will now focus on disassembling and inspecting the thrusters and finalizing preparations for readiness reviews ahead of Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams.