The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding its return to Earth. Recent tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, have been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the results of these tests before finalizing plans for the vessel’s homecoming.
An update shared last week stated, “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 purpose of the tests was to assess thruster performance and understand the reasons behind the in-flight failures of some thrusters, as well as to evaluate the potential effects of reactivating those thrusters on the overall mission.
By “de-selected,” officials referred to thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, the helium tanks controlling the thrusters experienced leaks, which contributed to several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft had 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, despite only requiring seven hours for its operation. While they mentioned that the craft could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they indicated that they were not entirely prepared for that eventuality.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing stated that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward with finalizing flight rationale to prepare for readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”