The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Earth-based tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it stranded in space since early June, have recently been completed. Boeing and NASA were awaiting the completion of these tests before planning the vessel’s journey back.
An update issued last week confirmed that ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is finished, and teams are now reviewing the data. The tests aimed to understand thruster degradation, which will help explain why some thrusters failed during flight and assess the implications of reactivating them for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
Some thrusters were described as “de-selected,” meaning they ceased functioning. Helium tanks controlling the thrusters had leaking issues before and during the Starliner’s launch, causing several delays. Last month, officials stated that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, although it only requires seven hours. While they indicated that the craft could return home immediately if necessary, they also noted that it is not yet fully prepared for landing.
During the latest update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight might occur at the end of this month, though the timeline is now more uncertain. They stated, “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and move forward with finalizing flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s nominal return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”