The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner received encouraging news regarding their eventual return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Both Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests to begin planning for the spacecraft’s homecoming.
An announcement last week indicated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is finished, and teams are now focusing on reviewing the gathered data.” The purpose of these tests was to identify any issues with thruster performance, particularly concerning why some thrusters were inactive during flight and how reactivating them might affect the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned during operation. Problems arose from leaking helium tanks that control the thrusters, which resulted in several delays before and during the Starliner’s launch. Previously, officials stated that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, although it only requires seven hours for its operations. While they mentioned that the craft could return at any moment if necessary, they clarified that it is not yet fully prepared for the journey back.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less definitive: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections, and work towards finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”