Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched into orbit on June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner. They were the first crew to fly the spacecraft, and their test flight was scheduled to last about a week. However, a problem with the Starliner, which has yet to be fixed, has left the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for an indefinite amount of time. The Starliner is experiencing engine problems and a helium leak.

If Boeing and NASA can’t repair the Starliner, SpaceX may have to step in and rescue the astronauts. On Wednesday, the space agency officially acknowledged that it is working with SpaceX on a plan to replace Starline with Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, designed and built by SpaceX, has been reliably ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020.

If SpaceX is used, Wilmore and Williams will be part of a SpaceX mission Crew-9. They will return aboard the Crew Dragon around February 2025. In that case, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft will undock from the ISS and land autonomously at sea with no people on board.

NASA spokesman Steve Stich said NASA has been working out the details of this contingency plan with SpaceX since early July. He said they are preparing Crew Dragon to fly to the space station with just two astronauts. At this point, they are still lacking the vehicle layout and crew training for a two-seat launch from Earth.

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