Return of two astronauts stranded at NASA to Earth delayed till March

The space mission of two stuck NASA astronauts has been extended again. That means they won’t return to Earth until spring, 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing’s Starliner capsule.

NASA announced the latest delay in the homecoming of Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams on Tuesday.

The two test pilots had planned to be apart for only a week or two when they fly on June 5 on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission extended from eight days to eight months after NASA decided in September to send the company’s troubled Starliner capsule back empty.

According to NASA, the pair will not return until late March or April because of delays in launching their replacements.

According to the space agency, a new crew needs to be launched before Wilmore and Williams can return, and the next mission is more than a month away.

NASA’s next crew of four was scheduled to launch in February, with Wilmore and Williams returning home later that month along with two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled no earlier than the end of March.

NASA said it considered using a separate SpaceX capsule to fly the replacement crew to keep the flights on schedule. But it was decided that the best option was to wait for a new capsule to carry the next crew.

According to officials, NASA likes to have overlapping crews on the space station for smooth transitions.

Most space station missions last six months, with some reaching a full year.