Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams in spacecraft attached to International Space Station as engineers fix problem

Boeing’s public relations crisis is now out of this world: the company’s Starliner spacecraft – and the two astronauts onboard – is currently stuck in space.

After what started as an eight-day mission, US astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have now spent the better part of a month on their space capsule attached to the International Space Station as engineers work out the problems with Starliner.

It remains unclear when exactly the astronauts will be able to make their return to Earth. A Boeing spokesperson told the Guardian they have “adjusted the return of Starliner Crew Flight Test until after two planned spacewalks on Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, July 2” and that they “currently do not have a date for the return, and will evaluate opportunities after the spacewalks”.

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The spacecraft is cleared to undock and return to Earth if there’s an emergency or need for a quick departure.