NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, are finally on their way back to Earth.
Tuesday, they departed the ISS aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Weather permitting, they are expected to splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, where the SpaceX recovery ship will retrieve them. From there, they will be flown to Houston, where they will reunite with their loved ones after their unexpectedly extended mission.
SpaceX Crew Dragon Bringing NASA Astronauts Home After 9-Months in Space
The Delayed Return
Wilmore and Williams’ return has been long-awaited. Their escape capsule has been docked at the ISS since September 2024.
The spacecraft originally arrived carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The astronauts’ return marks the conclusion of a mission that began with a problematic Boeing test flight on June 5, 2024.
The mission was scheduled to last just a week, turned into a nine-month ordeal filled with mechanical failures and persistent leaks in Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. Due to ongoing technical issues, NASA had to send the Starliner back to Earth without a crew.
Waiting for a Replacement Crew
NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov had arrived at the ISS in their own SpaceX capsule last fall, but their return was delayed because Wilmore and Williams’ seats were originally reserved on the Starliner.
