Boeing Starliner Crew May Return on SpaceX Dragon, NASA Says

NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams could be stuck in orbit for months, and may return to Earth in a SpaceX Dragon capsule instead of the Boeing Starliner that carried them to the ISS in June.

"I don't think we're too far away from making that call...We know at some point we need to bring Butch and Suni home." - Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for space operations

NASA officials announced they are considering multiple options to get the astronauts home, including a "last-ditch" return on a SpaceX Craft Dragon in February.

The announcement comes as Boeing and NASA continue to face issues with the Starliner, which has been in orbit for over 60 days due to multiple delays.

Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to stay for about a week, but helium leaks and propulsion system issues have prevented their return.

While Boeing insists Starliner is safe, the mounting delays and issues have thrown its capability into question.

NASA has postponed the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally scheduled for August 18, to allow more time to finalize a return plan.