The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding its return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA had been waiting for these tests to conclude before they could start making plans for the spacecraft’s return journey.
The testing objective was to assess the degradation of the thrusters, providing insights into why some of them were deactivated during the flight and understanding any potential impacts of reactivating those thrusters on the remainder of the Crew Flight Test. The completion of the thruster testing at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico allows the teams to focus on reviewing the data collected.
During the initial launch, the helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leaks, causing several delays. Despite having 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, the Starliner only requires seven hours for its operations. While officials indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they stated that it’s not entirely ready for that yet.
In the latest update, NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight could potentially happen at the end of this month, although the timeline has now become less certain. Engineers will disassemble and inspect the thrusters and work towards finalizing the flight rationale necessary for the readiness reviews for the Starliner’s return to Earth, where commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams await.