The Boeing CST-100 Starliner team has received promising news regarding the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Recent ground tests of the spacecraft’s thrusters were successfully completed, ending a period of delays that started in early June. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the results of these tests to start planning for the Starliner’s re-entry.
An update released late last week indicated that testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has concluded. The main goal was to assess any potential thruster degradation to understand why some thrusters were inoperable during flight and to evaluate the impact of potentially reactivating them on the overall mission.
Officials clarified that “de-selected” thrusters were those that had ceased functioning. Issues arose before and during the spacecraft’s launch due to leaks in the helium tanks controlling the thrusters, resulting in several delays. Despite having 70 hours of helium aboard—far more than the seven hours required for its main operations—officials indicated last month that while the Starliner could technically return to Earth at any moment, they were not yet prepared for it to do so.
In their most recent update, NASA and Boeing suggested that the spacecraft could return at the end of this month. However, that timeline is now less specific. The engineering teams will carry out disassembly and inspections of the thrusters and continue with flight rationale preparations in anticipation of a safe return to Earth for commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.