U.S. Astronauts Stuck At International Space Station

Boeing succeeded in getting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, following weeks of delays.

Returning them to Earth on the same spacecraft is proving another challenge.

Problems with leaks and thrusters emerged after Boeing’s Starliner vehicle launched this month with the astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on board. Officials from the aerospace company and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Tuesday that the astronauts are slated to return June 26.

“We’re taking a little bit of extra time to work through what we’ve seen and make sure we have all the plans in place to bring the crew home,” Steve Stich, a NASA program manager, said Tuesday.

The space station has at least four months of reserves for food and other consumable items for astronauts on board, NASA officials have said. Starliner could stay docked at the station for a total of 45 days, though ultimately it aims to stay there for six-month missions, they said.

Extended stays at ISS have happened before. In September, the NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returned to Earth after spending more than a year at the facility, a record-breaking flight for an American. His return was delayed after a micrometeorite poked a hole in his Russian-made return vehicle and Russia sent up another ship.

Starliner is able to ferry crew members to Earth in an emergency situation, Stich said.

He added that teams want to analyze Starliner and its technical challenges as much as possible while it is at the station.