The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left the Starliner stranded in space since early June, have been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA awaited these test results to start planning the spacecraft’s homeward journey.
An update released last week indicated that the ground testing of the Starliner’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has been finished, with teams now focusing on reviewing the data. The purpose of these tests was to evaluate thruster performance and understand why certain thrusters were non-functional during the flight, as well as the potential impacts of reactivating them on the spacecraft’s overall readiness.
Officials noted that some thrusters were “de-selected,” meaning they ceased to function. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, issues with helium tanks that control the thrusters were identified, resulting in several delays. Last month, officials mentioned that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium on board, despite only requiring seven. While they indicated earlier this month that the vessel could return to Earth immediately if necessary, they also stated that they were not fully prepared for that eventuality.
NASA and Boeing previously indicated that a return flight could occur by the end of this month. However, the timeline is now less specific: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and continue to finalize flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”