(Photo : MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams prepare to board Boeing's Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida early this month.
Engineers were scrambling again Sunday to make repairs to Boeing's problem-plagued Starliner spacecraft to bring two NASA astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' return to the planet was delayed a third time Saturday amid several issues with the Starliner capsule.
The deadline for the astronauts' safe return to Earth is 45 days, according to officials. Wilmore and Williams were supposed to return to Earth in mid-June after a week at the space station. The launch to the space station in early June was scrubbed twice due to problems.
Likely earliest return date now will be semetime in July, following newly planned spacewalks.
Leaders from @NASA and @BoeingSpace are adjusting the June 26 return to Earth of the Crew Flight Test mission with @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from @Space_Station.
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) June 22, 2024
This adjustment deconflicts from a series of spacewalks while allowing mission teams time to… pic.twitter.com/pjqz1zEu4g
Starliner breakdowns have included the sudden shutdown of its five thrusters during flight, and a series of helium leak, according to CNN.
The holdup comes as Boeing is coming under increasing scrutiny over product safety, particularly regarding its 737 MAX aircraft and 787 Dreamliner planes, and complaints from whistleblowers about company retaliation for warnings about concerning issues.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, who earns a $33 million salary, told Congress in testimony earlier this month that whistleblower retaliation is something that "happens" at the company.
