When American astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams flew to the International Space Station on June 5 as part of a test mission, they expected to return home within days.
However, there was a change of plan.
They are still there and hovering high above the Earth for two months.
They are stuck indefinitely and there is a possibility that they will miss the summer, and it is also likely that they will celebrate Christmas and New Year in space.
Wilmore (61) and Williams (58) went to the station in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
It was the first flight with humans aboard and a type of test designed to verify how the new craft works before it goes into more regular use.
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Problems appeared at the very beginning: a leak was detected in the drive system, and some devices within the system began to fail.
The pair have reached the space station safely, but an alternative way to return home must be found if the Starliner capsule cannot be repaired.
NASA officials said at a press conference on Wednesday, August 7 that the next steps have not yet been decided.
"Our priority is to return Buch to the Sun," said Steve Stich, NASA program manager.
"We are making plans and considering other options," he added.
One potential option being considered is for Wilmore and Williams to join the mission, which is scheduled to launch in September and return to Earth in February 2025.
That flight will be carried out by the ship of Ilona Musk's company, Space X - Crew Dragon.
The original plan for the September mission was to have a crew of four, but two seats can be left empty if needed.
This means that instead of eight days, William and Wilmore would be eight months on the International Space Station.
If Crew Dragon is used, they would return the Starliner to Earth unmanned, under computer control.
NASA officials say it could be more than seven days before a final decision is made.
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Ken Bowersox, NASA's director of space operations, told reporters that the chances of an unmanned Starliner return "have increased slightly, but it all depends on what happens in the coming days."
"That's why we're looking more carefully at that option to make sure we can implement it," he added.
Returning astronauts on the SpaceX spacecraft would be a major blow to Boeing, which has been trying to compete with the more experienced Crew Dragon for years.
In early August, NASA sent food and supplies to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket, as well as extra clothing for stranded astronauts.
Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams said at the beginning of June that they are "absolutely sure" of the return, and that Starliner seems "impressive".
Williams is in space for the third time. She is a retired Navy helicopter pilot, while Vilmor is a former fighter pilot and has been in space twice.
"We had work up here, we immediately fit in with the other members who are in the station.
"I feel like I'm coming home. It feels good to be floating around, being in space and working with the space station team," Williams told reporters in a phone call.
"It's great to be up here," she added.
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Boeing hoped that Starliner's first mission would pave the way for regular use of its capsule to and from the station.
SpaceX Crew Dragon has been used for NASA missions since 2020.
Williams and Willmore will be in space longer than they planned, but there have been astronauts who have been above the Earth's surface for longer.
Russian Valeri Polyakov spent 437 days in space on the Mir space station in the mid-1990s.
Frank Rubio returned after 371 days, which is the longest time an American has spent in space.
Russian Oleg Kononenko, who is currently in the International Space Station, is the first man to spend more than a thousand days in space during his career.
"I don't regret that we will be here for a few more weeks," said the 58-year-old retired pilot.
It looks like they will be there for much longer.
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