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During a press conference<\/a> today, NASA representatives confirmed they have a contingency plan to bring astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams home from the International Space Station (ISS) early next year. If they\u2019re unable to leave sooner aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that brought them there, the backup plan would rely on SpaceX\u2019s Crew-9 mission, which has had its launch delayed while officials figure out what to do next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n After a successful crewed launch of the Boeing Starliner<\/a> on June 5th (following several<\/a> delays<\/a>), the two astronauts were originally supposed to spend about a week aboard the ISS before parachuting back to Earth. But the Starliner experienced thruster failures and helium leaks while docking with the ISS, plus additional delays<\/a> that have left the astronauts stuck in orbit for over two months while Boeing and NASA try to determine if the vehicle is still safe to use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The June crewed test flight was originally scheduled to take place seven years ago, and Boeing\u2019s Starliner program has experienced significant delays and cost overruns. If SpaceX ends up having to bring the two astronauts back to Earth, it\u2019s just one more misstep for Boeing in a year that included a door plug exploding out from one of its planes during a flight<\/a> and pleading guilty<\/a> to a criminal fraud charge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n