Two astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station following repeated delays in their return from the troubled capsule.
Now NASA is attempting to figure out how and when to bring them back.
Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams have been on the International Space Station since June 5th. They were supposed to be up there for eight days, and have now just passed the two-month mark.
They launched into orbit on the first crewed mission of Boeing's Starliner space capsule. Unfortunately, it encountered technical difficulties on the way up.
The capsule is still being tested, leaving Boeing with confidence in the spacecraft, and NASA remaining divided.
A decision is expected to be made next week regarding either bringing them back on the Starliner and taking a chance, or bringing them back next February on Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon rocket?
This is Boeing's first time launching astronauts. They've previously flown empty capsules, however, these suffered software issues among other problems.
Prior to the launch, the capsule containing the astronauts had a leak in propulsion-related plumbing.
The small helium leak was judged as stable and isolated, and the test flight was carried out. The next day, there were four more leaks and five thrusters failed.
The capsule docked safely, and four thrusters worked. Engineers struggled to find where the issue lay after conducting thruster test firings on the ground and in space.
The root of these issues is still unknown and all but one out of 28 thrusters appear to be functioning.
There is fear, however, that if too many break down, the astronaut's safety could be jeopardised.
Thrusters are critical for maintaining the right position of the capsule while it deorbits.
It's been reported that in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, the Starliner could be used as a lifeboat to leave.
Former NASA executive Scott Hubbard said the astronauts were "kind of stuck", but certainly not stranded. He revealed they had a lot of supplies and had lots of work to do.
If the two were to return on the SpaceX rocket, they wouldn't just board the Dragon that's currently docked with the International Space Station. This would leave them stranded.
Instead, Starliner would be cut loose and SpaceX would then launch another Dragon, which has been designed to carry four astronauts.
The empty seats would be reserved, however, the astronauts would have to wait until February to return. They have to wait for the remaining crew to complete their mandatory minimum station mission of six months. Some of these missions have lasted a year.
This isn't the first time a US astronaut has had to remain in space. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his two Russian crewmates spent just over a year in space after the Soyuz capsule was hit by space junk.
Both of the astronauts currently stuck in space are retired Navy captains and NASA astronauts with previous space station missions behind them.
They expected to learn a lot about Starliner and how it operates during this test flight.
A news conference from space saw the two assure individuals they were remaining busy and were confident the Starliner testing.
Their suitcases were removed prior to lift-off to make room for equipment urgently needed for the urine-into-drinking-water recycling system. So far, they've made do with the spare clothes they have.
A supply ship arrived this week with their clothes, extra food and science experiments. More supplies are expected in a few months.
The space station has its own oxygen-generating systems, however, NASA wishes to get back to normal as soon as possible.
Onboard the International Space Station are four other Americans and three Russians.
NASA deliberately hired two companies to get crews and cargo to and from the space station and considered it an insurance policy.
"You want to have another alternative, both for cost reasons and for safety reasons and options. NASA needs Boeing to be successful."
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