Starliner setbacks force NASA to rely on SpaceX for crew return

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will return to Earth via SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in February, after an extended 80-day stay on the ISS. This change in plans was necessitated by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, including thruster and valve problems. The Crew-9 mission is set to launch in late September, replacing the original eight-day Starliner mission that encountered docking difficulties with the ISS.