Both the astronauts are hoping to make their way back to Earth soon but Nasa says they may have to spend the next few days in uncertainty too.

The space agency said in a statement, "NASA s decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than August 24 (Saturday) after an agency-level review, as India media reported.

Williams and Willmore became the first to ride the much-delayed Starliner. What began as an eight-day sojourn on the International Space Station (ISS) has extended to more than two months in space for the duo.

As Starliner approached the orbiting lab, the spacecraft experienced a series of technical issues such as the failure of several thrusters and helium leaks in the propulsion system.

While engineers were able to bring four of the five malfunctioning thrusters back online (there are 28 thrusters on Starliner), it still raises a concern about “a successful de-orbit” to Earth.

NASA officials have disagreed with the safety of Starliner but Boeing proclaimed it.

If the US space agency deems Starliner unfit to travel on Saturday, it would undock uncrewed from the orbiting lab, NDTV reported.

Williams and Wilmore will return onboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, as NASA has delayed the launch of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the ISS to September 24.

Both Boeing s Starliner and SpaceX s Dragon were aimed to ferry astronauts and cargo for NASA missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.