The two NASA astronauts who launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will have to wait a little longer to return home. NASA has delayed the launch of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, designated to take the Starliner astronauts home.

Originally scheduled for liftoff in February 2025, NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 will launch no earlier than late March 2025 to "complete the processing of the new Dragon spacecraft for the mission," the space agency wrote in a update. The new Dragon spacecraft will arrive at SpaceX's processing facility in Florida in early January. "The manufacture, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires a great deal of attention to detail," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, in a statement.

After launching to the ISS with Crew-10 astronauts, the Dragon spacecraft will be used to carry the SpaceX Crew-9 mission back to Earth. That includes NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Williams and Wilmore launched to the ISS on June 5 aboard Boeing's Starliner for the first crewed flight test of the spacecraft. The Starliner's trip to the ISS didn't go so well; five of the spacecraft's thrusters failed and spacecraft were developed five helium leaksone of which was identified before liftoff. The crew capsule remained docked to the ISS for several months while NASA and Boeing debated whether or not the Starliner should return the astronauts to Earth safely. The mission teams finally decided to return an uncrewed Starliner and will return its crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

This marked a major setback for Boeing's Starliner program, but also meant that the two astronauts had to spend an unexpectedly long time aboard the ISS. The Starliner crew was originally meant to be in space for a week or so, but today's astronauts are forced to spend months living and working on the space station. The latest Crew-10 launch delay is another month added to Williams and Wilmore's unplanned time in space.

Astronauts typically spend six months aboard the ISS, with some remain in space for more than a year. Recent media reports have raised concerns about Williams' health due to spending so much time aboard the ISS, but the The astronaut dismissed speculation about his weight loss.

Starliner's Crewed Flight Test is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which aims to transport crew and cargo to and from the ISS under a $4.3 billion contract with the space agency. NASA's other commercial partner, SpaceX, has so far launched nine crews to the space station, and is preparing for the liftoff of Crew-10. NASA expects the Starliner to launch its first operational mission early next year, but the The space agency chose to freeze the Boeing program until it determines a better path to its certification.