The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has received positive news regarding their impending return to Earth. Recent ground testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been completed, which had previously left the vessel stranded in space since early June. Boeing and NASA had been awaiting the results of these tests to start planning the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An update provided last week stated, “Ground testing of a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico is complete, and teams are now focusing on data reviews.” The objective of the tests was to assess thruster performance and understand the reasons behind the inoperative thrusters during the flight, as well as to evaluate the potential impact of reactivating those thrusters on the Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” indicates that some thrusters failed to operate. The helium tanks used for thruster control experienced leaking both before and during the Starliner launch, resulting in several delays. Officials announced last month that the spacecraft has 70 hours’ worth of helium on board, despite only requiring seven hours for its operations. Although they indicated earlier this month that the craft could return immediately if necessary, they also mentioned that they are not fully prepared for that return yet.
In the most recent update, NASA and Boeing indicated a potential return flight by the end of this month. However, the timeline has become less precise: “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections and work on finalizing flight rationale in preparation for readiness reviews for Starliner’s scheduled return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the upcoming weeks.”