NASA said Wednesday it would delay any decision on how to bring its two stranded astronauts home until the end of August while it works out several technical issues.
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, launched on Boeing’s Starliner in June 2024 for a planned eight-day mission but have been stuck there for over two months due to technical problems, including helium leaks and thruster failures.
Another complication is that switching the return flight to a SpaceX Crew Dragon ship would require the astronauts to travel without their specially designed spacesuits, which would raise new risks.