The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. The testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has recently concluded. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the completion of these tests before making plans for the vessel’s homecoming.
An update released last week indicated that the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has been finalized, with teams now focusing on reviewing the data. The primary goal of the tests was to examine the degradation of the thrusters to better understand why some were not functioning during the flight and what impact restoring those thrusters might have on the remainder of the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that became non-operational. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, the helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in several delays. Officials mentioned in a press conference last month that the spacecraft has enough helium for 70 hours of operation, despite only requiring seven. They also indicated that while the Starliner could technically return to Earth immediately if necessary, preparations are not quite complete.
In their most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur by the end of the month. However, this timeline has become less specific. “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and will move forward with finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks,” stated officials.