The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their upcoming return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have kept it in orbit since early June, has been successfully completed on the ground. Boeing and NASA had been waiting for these tests to finalize plans for the spacecraft’s reentry.
Recent updates indicate that the ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded, and teams are now reviewing the data. The objective of the tests was to assess thruster performance to understand the reasons behind the malfunction of certain thrusters during flight and to evaluate the implications of returning them to service.
Some thrusters were “de-selected,” meaning they ceased functioning during the mission. The helium tanks responsible for controlling the thrusters experienced leaks prior to and during the launch, contributing to delays. Officials stated that the Starliner has 70 hours of helium onboard, despite only requiring seven hours for the mission. Although they indicated that the spacecraft could technically return to Earth immediately if necessary, they are not yet fully prepared for that scenario.
According to the latest briefing from NASA and Boeing, a return flight may be scheduled for the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less certain, with engineers from both organizations planning to disassemble and inspect the thrusters while preparing for the final reviews ahead of the Starliner’s eventual return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.