The vice president leading Boeing's Starliner spacecraft unit, Mark Nappi, has left his role in the program and been replaced by the company's International Space Station program manager, John Mulholland,

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are conducting a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to remove degraded hardware and swab for microorganisms.

"NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions," Cheryl Warner, NASA's news chief at the agency's headquarters, said in a statement to reporters.

A spokesperson with NASA, which oversees SpaceX’s flights to the ISS, said “NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.”

Boeing has appointed John Mulholland to lead its Starliner spacecraft unit, replacing Mark Nappi. Nappi, who navigated the Starliner through engineering challenges since 2022, transitions to a new role focused on streamlining within Boeing's space programs before retiring next month.

Commander Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the International Space Station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that may still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday evening, vowing vow to bring the NASA pilots home after being stranded in space since the summer.

Boeing ( NYSE: BA) has replaced the head of its Starliner spacecraft business with its International Space Station (ISS) program manager, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a company spokesperson.

The vice president leading Boeing's Starliner spacecraft unit, Mark Nappi, has left the program and was replaced by the company's International Space Station program manager, John Mulholland, a Boeing spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday.

The astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station aboard the Boeing Starliner are in good health, a NASA spokesperson has said, dismissing fake online reports of their death. The false narrative also includes false quotes attributed to Elon Musk.