UPDATED 2:04 PM ET Sep. 28, 2024 PUBLISHED 5:15 PM ET Sep. 27, 2024 PUBLISHED 5:15 PM EDT Sep. 27, 2024 SHARE CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — On Saturday afternoon, NASA and SpaceX launched two people in the Crew-9 mission but they will return with Boeing Starliner mission’s two crewmembers early next year. What You Need To Know NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be heading to the International Space Station But they will return early next year with Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Cmdr. Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams The Boeing Starliner capsule suffered from helium leaks and thruster issues — 🚀Anthony Leone🌕 (@AnthonyLeone) September 28, 2024 They will also be members of the ISS’s Expedition 72. An expedition means the current crew in the International Space Station. And after they are done spending months in microgravity and enjoying the view of Earth’s curvature, they will return home with Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Cmdr. Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams in February 2025. Originally, the Crew-9 mission was going to see four members going up, but those plans were scrapped after issues arose with Boeing’s maiden crewed flight of its Starliner capsule: Helium leaks and thrusters not working. NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams were expected to spend about eight days on the International Space Station in June, but the prolonged problems forced them to spend eight months on the floating space laboratory as its ride — named Calypso — returned home empty earlier this month. The U.S. space agency wanted to ensure Williams’ and Wilmore’s safety and not have them onboard Starliner. The Boeing capsule did touch down in New Mexico safely. Because of this, it was decided that the pair would return home and the original four-member Crew-9 mission was cut in half to make room in SpaceX’s Dragon for Wilmore and Williams. Going up in the Crew-9 mission are two SpaceX suits for Wilmore and Williams, said O'Neill. There is an extra one already on the International Space Station that fits Williams. Boeing spacesuits are not compatible with the Dragon spacecraft.