NASA leaders revealed few new details during a briefing on a pair of astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station since June after a malfunction on their Boeing spacecraft.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived on a Starliner vehicle on June 5 and were only supposed to stay until the middle of the month.
Authorities have been discussing how to safely return them home after discovering helium leaks and propulsion problems.
HOW BOEING STARLINER ASTRONAUTS STUCK IN SPACE COULD GET HOME AND WHEN
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were the flight crew on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which is recovering from a series of issues. (NASA)
Both astronauts are “very familiar” with the International Space Station, said Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of safety and mission assurance. The Starliner test flight marked the third mission to the ISS for each of them.
Authorities said a data analysis was still underway Wednesday and that it was expected to wrap up by the end of next week. A flight readiness review could begin then or the week after.
One previously discussed option was sending them home on the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which would take off in September with two empty seats, leaving room for Wilmore and Williams on the February 2025 return, authorities said last week.
The option is still on the table, authorities said Wednesday, and the Starliner remains as a contingency.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during NASA’s live shot of their takeoff on June 5, 2024. (NASA)
If the agency approves a contingency plan, officials say they will likely have Starliner undock from the space station and return to earth autonomously.
NASA-BOEING STARLINER LAUNCH WAS ‘SPECTACULAR,’ MISSION WENT AS PLANNED UNTIL DAY 2, ASTRONAUTS SAY
Boeing said it was confident that the Starliner is safe enough to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth safely.
Starliner, a Boeing creation as part of its private-public partnership with NASA, takes off on June 5, 2024, for the first time with a manned crew. (NASA/YouTube)
NASA says it needs more time to analyze the spacecraft’s maneuvering thrusters, which developed problems during its first astronaut-crewed flight to the ISS.
This is a developing story.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin, Charles Bell and Jonathan Serrie contributed to this report.