In his Aug. 24 remarks, when the agency announced Starliner would return without its astronauts, Administrator Nelson framed the agency's decision within the context that such endeavors entail, stressing that NASA has a heightened awareness of the consequences of its choices in the human spaceflight arena.

Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have been stranded on the International Space Station since June, are now expected to come home next moth.

NASA moved up the launch of Crew-10 to March 12 to return the Starliner astronauts home sooner. Crew-10 will now launch on Crew Dragon Endurance, which was originally assigned to the Axiom 4 mission. The Starliner spacecraft experienced thruster issues during its test flight in June, leading to an extended stay for its two astronauts.