NASA astronauts speak from ISS on indefinitely stuck Boeing Starliner mission

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The two NASA astronauts temporarily stuck on the International Space Station owing to issues with their Boeing Starliner craft say they’re confident they’ll be able to return home, their first remarks to the press from aboard the station. The Starliner mission, part of the Commercial Crew Program working with private companies to ferry NASA astronauts to the ISS, launched on June 5 and was originally scheduled to return to Earth later that month. The Boeing Starliner was meant to be a major milestone in the company’s battle with SpaceX for NASA business “That mantra you’ve heard, failure is not an option, that’s why we are staying here now,” Wilmore added of the tests. “We trust that the tests that we’re doing are the ones we need to do to get the right answers, to give us the data that we need to come back.” Boeing’s Mark Nappi said he believes the Starliner could return now in an emergency, but said, “We want to fill in the blanks and run this test to assure ourselves of that.” Officials said the return date would depend on the data.