The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew has received promising news regarding their return to Earth. Testing of the spacecraft’s thrusters, which have been inactive in space since early June, has recently concluded. Boeing and NASA had awaited the completion of these tests before making plans for the spacecraft’s journey back home.
An official update 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 goal of the tests was to assess thruster degradation, helping teams understand why certain thrusters failed during flight and the potential effects of reactivating them on the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The term “de-selected” refers to the thrusters that ceased functioning. Issues arose with helium tanks used to control the thrusters, with leaks observed prior to and during the Starliner launch, resulting in several delays. During a press conference last month, officials noted that the spacecraft has 70 hours of helium onboard, far exceeding the seven hours required for its operation. While they indicated earlier this month that the spacecraft could return immediately if necessary, they also mentioned that they were not fully prepared for a return just yet.
At the last briefing, NASA and Boeing suggested a potential return flight at the end of this month. However, the timeframe has since become less certain. “Boeing and NASA engineers will continue with thruster disassembly and inspections and will finalize flight rationale in support of readiness reviews for Starliner’s planned return to Earth with commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams in the coming weeks.”