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Engineers from Boeing and NASA have spent much of the last month running ground tests on a Starliner Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster to get a better idea of what went wrong during the active Starliner\u2019s flight in early June, and they finally wrapped up this past week. In its latest update, <\/a> said the teams were able to replicate the thrust degradation Starliner experienced and are now reviewing all the data. But the date of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams\u2019 return<\/a> is still uncertain \u2014 NASA and Boeing said only that they\u2019ll be making the trip \u201cin the coming weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n In the tests at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, the teams simulated the conditions from Starliner\u2019s recent flight, putting the control system thruster \u201cthrough one of the most stressing launch-to-docking firing sequences with over 1,000 pulses to simulate CFT [Crew Flight Test] conditions,\u201d according to Boeing. They also tested undocking and deorbit burn scenarios, which Starliner will experience on its way home. After collecting terabytes of data from those tests, the teams ran additional, more aggressive tests to \u201csee if we could more closely simulate the higher thermal conditions the thrusters experienced in-flight,\u201d said Dan Niedermaier, Boeing\u2019s engineer for the thruster testing.<\/p>\n The engineers are in the process of doing \u201cengine tear downs and inspections\u201d NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich, said on Thursday. Following their analyses, NASA<\/a> says there will be an Agency Flight Test Readiness Review to determine whether Starliner is in good shape to bring the astronauts back. NASA and Boeing said they will release more information in a conference in the coming days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n