Returning Crew-9 to Earth before Crew-10's arrival would mean NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who flew to the ISS with a Russian crew in September, would be the only American aboard the station, a rare staffing imbalance that NASA has said complicates maintenance of the station's U.S. components.
Wilmore and Williams are among seven astronauts on the ISS, and they remain healthy and busy with routine scientific research aboard the station, NASA has said.
Though Starliner's development since 2019 has been a persistent challenge for Boeing, rife with engineering troubles and cost overruns, some Trump advisers in recent months have sought to blame Biden, although the former president had no involvement in Starliner's development.