The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have prevented it from returning since early June, has been completed. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting these test results to start planning the spacecraft’s homecoming.
A statement released late last week indicated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The tests aimed to assess thruster degradation to help understand the reasons behind the in-flight failure of some thrusters and the potential implications of reintegrating them into the mission.
Officials highlighted that “de-selected” thrusters had stopped functioning. Issues with the helium tanks that control the thrusters resulted in numerous delays during the launch process. Despite having 70 hours’ worth of helium onboard when only seven are necessary for operation, officials stated last month that while the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they were not fully prepared for that scenario.
The most recent update from NASA and Boeing suggested a potential return flight at the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less specific. The statement continued, “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections, and advance toward finalizing flight rationale for readiness reviews for Starliner’s safe return to Earth, involving commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, in the upcoming weeks.”