NASA to give big update on Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams today. When and where to watch

As Boeing's first crewed Starliner test flight approaches the 80-day mark of what was originally planned to be an eight-day mission, NASA officials are set to provide an update on Saturday, August 24th, detailing their strategy for bringing the Starliner's astronaut crew back to Earth.

The press conference, scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Saturday, will feature NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency leaders as they discuss the plan to safely return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams aboard the Boeing Starliner. The briefing will be streamed live on this page via NASA TV. 

NASA said Wednesday it's still deciding whether to keep two astronauts at the International Space Station until early next year and send their troubled Boeing capsule back empty.

Rather than flying Boeing's Starliner back to Earth, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams would catch a ride on SpaceX's next flight. That option would keep them at the space station until next February.

The test pilots anticipated being away just a week or so when they rocketed away as Starliner's first crew. But thruster failures and helium leaks marred the capsule's trip to the space station, raising doubts about its ability to return safely and leaving the astronauts in limbo.

NASA officials said they're analyzing more data before making a decision by end of next week or beginning of the next. These thrusters are crucial for holding the capsule in the right position when it comes time to descend from orbit.

“We've got time available before we bring Starliner home and we want to use that time wisely," said Ken Bowersox, NASA's space operations mission chief.

Switching to SpaceX would require bumping two of the four astronauts assigned to the next ferry flight, currently targeted for late September. Wilmore and Williams would take the empty seats in SpaceX's Dragon capsule once that half-year mission ends.

Another complication: The space station has just two parking places for US capsules. Boeing's capsule would have to depart ahead of the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon in order to free up a spot.

Boeing has said Starliner could still safely bring the astronauts home. The company earlier this month posted a list of testing that has been done on the thrusters since liftoff.