NASA has again delayed a decision on how to bring back two American astronauts stuck in space on the troubled Boeing Starliner mission.
The US space agency said at a press conference on Wednesday that it would make a decision by the end of August.
Officials also said the astronauts' spacesuits were not suitable for use on alternate spacecraft that could be used if the Starliner was not safe.
NASA said the astronauts "did a great job" and went into space prepared for the risky mission.
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Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, where they were supposed to return after eight days.
Then there were technical problems.
Helium, the gas that pushes fuel into the propulsion system, also leaked out.
Problems for Williams and Wilmore mean they have to stay on the ISS until engineers get everything under control.
One of the alternative ways to return home is to use the SpaceX spacecraft that will arrive in the fall.
It is more certain that they could return with a SpaceX flight early next year.
Another option would turn an eight-day mission into an eight-month trip.
It is no simple task to change the way astronauts return to Earth.
Officials said Wednesday that the spacesuits worn by astronauts are not interchangeable.
If they were to return on an earlier SpaceX flight, they would travel without specific suits for this spacecraft, which could be risky.
For a later flight, in early 2025, there would be time to deliver the appropriate suits.
Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University, told the BBC that in any case "we are moving inexorably towards the return of SpaceX" spacecraft.
"It appears that there are those at NASA who are not convinced of a safe return," he said.
Boeing has repeated several times that it has confidence that the Starliner can bring astronauts home safely.
Officials were asked again Wednesday what can be done in the coming weeks to assure the astronauts will return safely on the Starliner.
They didn't answer, but they said there was a big discussion going on at NASA about how to get the crew back.
The agency reiterated its confidence in the Starliner and that the craft could be used to bring astronauts home in emergency situations.
Boeing and SpaceX have been awarded billion-euro contracts by NASA to provide commercial spaceflight for astronauts.
SpaceX has completed nine manned space flights for NASA so far, but this was Boeing's first mission with astronauts.
It would be a huge shame for Boeing if the astronauts were forced to return to the SpaceX spacecraft, wearing their suits.
NASA officials said they brought in outside propulsion system experts to analyze data from the troubled spacecraft.
They will continue the investigation before making a decision.
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