The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received encouraging news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been completed, which had kept the Starliner in orbit since early June. Boeing and NASA were awaiting these results to commence plans for the spacecraft’s return journey.
An update indicated that testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster took place at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The goal of the tests was to assess thruster performance and understand why some thrusters were rendered inactive during flight, as well as the potential implications of reactivating them for the Crew Flight Test.
Officials clarified that “de-selected” refers to thrusters that stopped functioning. The helium tanks that control the thrusters experienced leaks both before and during the Starliner’s launch, resulting in several delays. In a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard, despite only needing seven. While they could technically return the craft to Earth at this point, they mentioned it is not quite ready for that step.
NASA and Boeing previously suggested that a return flight might occur at the end of this month. However, the timeline has since become less definitive: “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, as well as finalize flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the ensuing weeks.”