The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received encouraging news regarding its return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has been completed. Both Boeing and NASA awaited these tests to begin organizing the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
An update from last week confirmed, “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 testing was to examine thruster degradation, providing insight into why certain thrusters failed during flight and the potential implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that malfunctioned. During the launch, helium tanks controlling these thrusters were found to be leaking, causing several delays. Officials indicated that the Starliner is equipped with 70 hours’ worth of helium, despite only requiring seven for its operations. While they mentioned earlier this month that the spacecraft could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they also stated that additional preparations are still needed.
In their latest update, NASA and Boeing noted that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections and advance with finalizing flight rationale to support readiness reviews for Starliner’s anticipated return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”