The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received positive news regarding their return to Earth. The spacecraft’s thruster testing, which has delayed its return since early June, has now been successfully completed. Boeing and NASA were waiting for these tests to conclude before planning the vessel’s homeward journey.
Last week, an update confirmed that ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico has wrapped up, and teams are now analyzing the data. The primary goal of the tests was to assess thruster performance issues to understand better why certain thrusters were inoperative during the flight and how reactivating them might affect the overall mission.
The term “de-selected” refers to thrusters that failed to function. Prior to and during the Starliner’s launch, leaks were discovered in the helium tanks used to control the thrusters, resulting in multiple delays. Officials noted in a press conference last month that the spacecraft contains 70 hours’ worth of helium, although only seven hours is necessary for the mission. While they indicated earlier this month that the Starliner could return home if necessary, they also expressed that they were not yet ready for the return.
In a recent update, NASA and Boeing mentioned that a return flight could occur at the end of this month. However, the timeframe has become less definitive, stating, “Boeing and NASA engineers will proceed with thruster disassembly and inspections along 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.”