NASA will decide Saturday if Boeing’s new capsule is safe enough to fly 2 astronauts back from space

NASA will decide this weekend whether Boeing’s new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they’ve been waiting since June. The space agency said Thursday that top officials will meet Saturday. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner from Florida on June 5. But the test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do. If necessary, SpaceX could retrieve the astronauts, but that would keep them up there until next year. NASA will decide this weekend whether Boeing’s new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they’ve been waiting since June. The space agency said Thursday that top officials will meet Saturday. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner from Florida on June 5. But the test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do. If necessary, SpaceX could retrieve the astronauts, but that would keep them up there until next year.  AP Technology and Science