The return of two stranded NASA astronauts to Earth has been postponed until spring

NASA announced yesterday that the mission of the agency’s two stranded astronauts has been extended again, meaning that they will not return to Earth until the spring, 10 months after they were launched into orbit aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule.

Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams had planned to stay there for only a week when they launched last June 5 on the first flight of a Boeing astronaut to the International Space Station.

Their mission was extended from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to return the problematic Starliner capsule empty last September. They will not return until the end of March or until April 2025, due to delays in launching their replacements, according to NASA.

The agency said a new crew must be launched before Willmore and Williams can return, and the next mission has been postponed for more than a month.