According to NASA, a decision has yet to be made about the two astronauts – Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams – being kept at the space station and whether the damaged Starliner capsule should be sent back empty.
If that is the case, the astronauts' return journey will be arranged by competitor Space X, but it would mean they would stay at the space station until February next year.
Further analysis is needed before a decision can be made, according to NASA.
We have time before we bring Starliner back and we want to use that time wisely, says Ken Bowersox at the agency.
The astronauts left Earth with Boeing's Starliner on June 5 and were supposed to be back eight days later.
Starliner was affected during the journey, among other things, by helium leakage and problems with fuel supply. Moreover, five steering rockets stopped functioning.
