After Weeks of Study, Ground Testing, Engineering Says it Has the Thruster Thing All Squared Away (Probably)

Boeing said it's come pretty far in understanding what went wrong in its recent Starliner launch, after deep scrutiny of its propulsion systems.

Officials at NASA still haven't given a return date for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, making their initial 'three hour tour' a real Gilligan's Island adventure, after all. Originally they were slated to stay aboard the ISS for a few days before coming back down to Earth, but some thruster issues along their outbound leg have required additional study. They came prepared, in any case, with enough supplies to hang out aboard the ISS for more than a month without issue.

Boeing's test personnel have reportedly been able to replicate the errant thruster conditions up to the point of capsule contact, in addition to the thruster's operations that will be a part of its flight back home. Using ground-based replicas of the Starliner's propulsion systems, Boeing thinks it has the issue nailed down. First, it will disassemble the test-fired thruster and analyze all the data it has on hand before clearing the Starliner's trip back to Earth.

“We collected an incredible amount of data on the thruster that could help us better understand what is going on in flight,” said NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich. He's been pretty patient with the process, telling press that the earliest Wilmore and Williams could make it back would be somewhere around the end of July. That looks to be the case even after a few weeks of engineering and study, but there is one scheduling demand on the horizon: SpaceX will deliver another crew for the ISS in the middle of August. Given the importance of scheduling in the world of space launch, it's probably best to keep that timetable as close as they can, which means the Starliner will probably be back sooner than later.

FMI: www.nasa.gov