Astronauts stuck in space after 8-day mission fails

One of NASA’s missions has failed.

Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmower60, and Sunita WilliamsThey are stuck on the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered multiple malfunctions, according to the Associated Press.

During the Starliner’s June 5 launch, the first with humans on board, the spacecraft experienced a propulsion-related plumbing leak, but engineers deemed it “stable and isolated,” according to Associated PressAnd continue the mission.

But the next day, as Wilmore and Williams approached the space station, four more leaks appeared, and five thrusters — devices used to accelerate and maintain the station — failed, according to the Associated Press. The crew managed to dock with the station safely, but since June 6 they have been in space on a trip that was originally supposed to last only eight days, according to the outlet.

For now, NASA must decide whether Starliner can be made ready for Earth, or whether Wilmore and Williams will have to wait until SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft can retrieve them, meaning they’ll remain at the space station until 2025 (SpaceX will launch its Dragon spacecraft on its own mission next month, which will last until February, when it can return to Earth), according to the Associated Press.