Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may not be able to fly astronauts back to Earth

NASA is working on backup plans to return two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station on the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft, amid concerns over the vehicle’s flight readiness.

The trip was supposed to last just eight days — now it could go on as long as eight months, after NASA acknowledged serious problems with the capsule. This is its first crewed flight.

Among the options to bring Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams home, NASA is considering saving them seats on a SpaceX flight planned for Feb. 2025, agency officials said Wednesday.