Flawed Boeing mission to return to Earth with SpaceX

HOUSTON

Two U.S. astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner will have to return home with rival SpaceX, NASA has said.

"NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Aug. 24.

The return of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams has been delayed by thruster malfunctions of the Boeing spacecraft.

The decision marked a fresh public relations headache for Boeing, meaning the two astronauts will have to spend a total of 8 months in orbit, not the 8 days as originally planned.

After years of Starliner development delays, the spacecraft had finally lifted off in early June carrying veteran astronauts Wilmore and Williams to the ISS.

But while studying problems with the craft's propulsion system, NASA had to put their return on indefinite hold.

Engineers at Boeing and NASA were concerned Starliner might not have the propulsive power to wrest itself out of orbit and begin the descent toward Earth.

Under the new plan, the SpaceX Crew-9 mission will take off in late September, but carrying only 2 passengers instead of the originally planned 4.

It will remain moored to the ISS until its scheduled return in February, bringing back its own crew members plus their two stranded colleagues.

The approach represents a further blow to the already tarnished image of U.S. giant Boeing, whose airplane arm has been beset in recent years with concerns about safety and quality control.

NASA has said the astronauts on the ISS have plenty of supplies, are trained for extended stays and have plenty of experiments to conduct.