NASA officials announced on Saturday that the troubled Boeing Starliner spacecraft that shuttled two astronauts to space in June will return to earth without them.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stuck in space after engineers discovered helium leaks and issues involving thrusters shortly after it docked with the International Space Station, which prompted NASA and Boeing to investigate.

"Our core value is safety and it is our North Star," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told reporters. 

The pair originally blasted off from Florida’s Space Coast on a test flight mission that was initially expected to last a week.

They will now return with a SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which will likely not launch before September as that mission needs to reduce its crew of four to two to make room for the stranded astronauts, who are expected to return in February 2025.