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Two NASA astronauts who've been stranded on the International Space Station since mid-June have told reporters that they're "absolutely confident" that their Boeing space capsule will be able to return them safely to Earth soon.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were giving their first news conference from orbit, after technical problems with the Starliner capsule prevented them from returning as scheduled.

Nasa and Boeing engineers are working on a range of problems, including helium leaks and the failure of the capsule's thrusters.

On a call to Houston, Texas journalist Robert Pearlman, who is the editor of the space history online publication collectSPACE, explained to 鲍鱼tv Newsday what is at stake.

(Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk at Kennedy Space Center, ahead of Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test; Credit: Reuters)