NASA has decided to delay its next astronaut launch in order to allow more time at the International Space Station for Boeing's new crew capsule. The SpaceX four-person flight, originally scheduled for this month, has been pushed back to September 24 at the earliest. This delay is to provide NASA with additional time to address thruster and leak issues that arose with Boeing's Starliner capsule following its June liftoff, which was its first crewed mission.
Starliner's test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have been at the space station for two months now, well past their expected return date in mid-June. NASA is considering various options for bringing the astronauts back, including utilizing a SpaceX capsule for their return journey.
