By switching the next space station crew to a different ferry ship, the Starliner astronauts will get home a bit earlier than planned.

The return of two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing's faulty Starliner capsule last summer, has hinged on the arrival of the Crew-10's four-person crew in order to keep the station's American contingent staffed at normal levels.

NASA on Tuesday swapped out the astronaut capsule it plans to use for an upcoming routine flight to the International Space Station, a scheduling move that will allow a slightly earlier return for two Starliner astronauts who have been on the station far longer than expected.