We collected an incredible amount of data on the thruster that could help us better understand what is going on in flight. Next, our team has moved into engine tear downs and inspections which will provide additional insight as we analyze the results and evaluate next steps.
The helium leaks seem to have caused several of the Starliner's thrusters to overheat, throwing its ability to navigate back to Earth in doubt. NASA maintained that Starliner would still be able to safely return in the case of an emergency.
What we have found in this flight is we have fired the thrusters more than expected, and I would say more frequently. When I say frequently, I'm talking about how close you fire an individual thruster pulse to the next pulse of that thruster.
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