August 8, 2024: Nasa announced on Wednesday that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore, who have been stuck in space for more than 60 days, may not be able to return to Earth till early 2025.

NASA is working on several return options including using SpaceX Dragon Crew. The Crew Dragon capsule would then be able to return to Earth with Starliner’s crew of Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams in February 2025.

The trip taken by the two astronauts was supposed to last just eight days.

The US space agency said Ms Williams, who is a veteran and is on her third space mission, investigated using fluid physics, such as surface tension, to overcome the lack of gravity when watering and nourishing plants being grown in space.