WASHINGTON, D.C.: NASA changed the astronaut capsule for its next routine flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

This change allows two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been at the ISS longer than planned, to return home a little earlier.

NASA decided to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule instead of a new one that is delayed in production. This moves the Crew-10 launch from March 25 to March 12. NASA will still check if the reused capsule, named Endeavor, is ready for flight.

Wilmore and Williams arrived at the ISS last summer on Boeing's Starliner capsule, which had technical problems. They need to stay until the Crew-10 astronauts arrive so there are enough U.S. astronauts at the station.

Last month, former President Donald Trump told SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to bring them back "as soon as possible." However, NASA had already planned to return them when it was practical. NASA did not say that Trump's request influenced the decision to change the Crew-10 capsule.

NASA official Steve Stich said space missions often face challenges and praised SpaceX for adapting to changes.

Trump's demand was unusual, and he blamed President Joe Biden for the astronauts' delay, even though Biden was not involved in the program. Musk also blamed Biden, despite SpaceX working with NASA to fix the problem, which was mainly caused by Boeing's technical issues.

The decision affects other planned missions. SpaceX was going to use the Endeavor capsule for a private astronaut mission called Fram2, but now it will need a different Crew Dragon capsule. Axiom's upcoming mission, which includes astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, may also be affected.

NASA helped fund SpaceX's Crew Dragon with about US$3 billion as part of its Commercial Crew Program, which aims to encourage private spaceflight and lower costs. Boeing's Starliner, developed under the same program, has faced many technical difficulties.