NASA astronauts stranded on the ISS for nine months, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are finally preparing to return to Earth.
Their replacements arrived Sunday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, just over a day after launching. Now, Wilmore and Williams will train the four new astronauts over the next few days before departing in the SpaceX capsule docked since last year.
- After nine months of missionary work, Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to embark on a brief, one-week expedition in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
- The Starliner experienced multiple technical failures, forcing NASA to bring it back empty, leaving the astronauts stranded.
- They have been waiting for a return ride ever since, marking an unexpectedly long mission aboard the ISS.
The Return Schedule and Postponements
- Two vacant seats were reserved for them when their return capsule arrived in September 2024.
- Further delays occurred due to battery issues with their replacements’ spacecraft, pushing their return to March 2025.
- Now, weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts will undock no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida’s coast.
A Busy Space Station Until Departure
Until their departure, the ISS crew count stands at 11, representing the U.S., Russia, and Japan. Wilmore and Williams welcomed their new crewmates with handshakes and hugs, ringing the station’s bell as tradition dictates.
“It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Williams told Mission Control.
NASA’s long-awaited crew swap signals the end of an extended mission and the beginning of a fresh chapter for the new ISS occupants.
Source: NBC News