The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recently completed ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have left it in orbit since early June, has paved the way for Boeing and NASA to plan the return trip.
Officials announced that the tests on the Starliner’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico have concluded, allowing teams to analyze the data. The primary goal of the testing was to identify thruster degradation to understand why some thrusters were disabled during flight and to assess the potential impacts of restoring them for the remaining Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that malfunctioned. Prior to and during the Starliner launch, helium tanks controlling the thrusters experienced leaks, resulting in multiple delays. Despite having 70 hours of helium on board—far more than the seven hours required—officials stated that while the spacecraft could theoretically return immediately, they are not ready for it to do so just yet.
The latest update from NASA and Boeing suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has now become less specific. Engineers from Boeing and NASA will begin disassembling and inspecting the thrusters and work towards finalizing preparations for the Starliner’s planned return to Earth, with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams on board in the coming weeks.