Nasa said on Wednesday it is considering tapping SpaceX to shuttle two astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station following technical difficulties with the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft they took to get there.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who were supposed to return to Earth nearly two months ago, may now stay at the station until February. SpaceX had a mission to the space station planned for later this month to deliver crew and supplies, but the US space agency has now pushed it back until September to weigh whether it should bring the astronauts home.
The SpaceX mission may carry only two astronauts aboard instead of four, leaving two seats to ferry Wilmore and Williams home early next year. Officials from Nasa said they were still evaluating which spacecraft to use to bring Williams and Wilmore back, and the agency would decide in mid-August.