The US space agency NASA says two astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner could return to the Earth on a SpaceX craft.
In June, the Starliner lifted off with two NASA astronauts onboard for a test flight and reached the ISS. The spacecraft was initially scheduled to bring the crew back to the Earth in about a week, but it has been docked at the ISS for about two months after glitches were found in its thruster system.
NASA officials revealed on Wednesday that they are weighing other options to bring the pair home.
One option would be to send only two astronauts instead of four on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, to be launched no earlier than September, and to return four crewmembers in around February 2025.
But the officials also said there is still a possibility that the two will return on the Starliner, as originally planned. They said they haven’t made a decision yet.
The Starliner is in the final stage of test flights before being certified by NASA as a routine means to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. However, the project is facing rough going due to repeated technical problems.