NASA officials said that two astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner early this summer will return home by next February during a Saturday press conference.

Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who have spent the entire summer in space, were initially scheduled to return to Earth around June 14. However, their mission faced a critical setback when the capsule developed leaks and some of its thrusters malfunctioned. As ground teams work to identify the cause of these issues, their homecoming has been repeatedly delayed.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, wave as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for Launch Complex 41 at Cape... NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, wave as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center for Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to board the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the Crew Flight Test launch, on June 5, 2024. Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the two astronauts "will return with crew-9 next February," a mission operated by SpaceX and not via their original spacecraft. He said that the "Starliner will return uncrewed."

Nelson went on to note that, "We have had mistakes done in the past: We lost two space shuttles as a result of there not being a culture in which information could come forward." He added, "Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine. And a test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine."

The two astronauts were part of a test flight that was expected to last around 8 days. "So the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," Nelson said.

Also speaking from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA associate administrator Jim Free said, "We are a learning organization and I think we've demonstrated that here. We will learn from this effort."

He noted that "this has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one."

Issues with the Starliner have prompted NASA to delay its next ISS mission, providing more time for Boeing's capsule to remain docked at the space station as its problems are worked on.

A spokesperson for Boeing told Newsweek in an email statement, "Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return."

Newsweek reached out to SpaceX for comment via email on Saturday.

The news comes as Boeing has been under scrutiny due to ongoing manufacturing problems with its jetliners, particularly the 737 Max.

This is a developing story and will be updated with additional information.

Updated 8/24/24, 2:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional context and information.

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