NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for the past nine months, are finally preparing for their return to Earth. Initially launched on June 5, 2024, for what was meant to be a 10-day crewed flight test aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, the duo faced a series of technical failures with their capsule, resulting in an extended stay on the ISS.
However, NASA has now cleared a relief crew to launch on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, set for next week, to bring them back home. Officials confirmed that Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth on March 16, 2025, according to media reports quoting
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 remains targeted to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy.
Williams and Wilmore were originally part of a mission to test the Starliner spacecraft, but after encountering issues with the capsule, their planned return was delayed indefinitely.
The Starliner made an uncrewed return in September 2024, but the astronauts remained on the ISS. Weeks later, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov were sent to the ISS aboard SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, with two seats on their Dragon spacecraft reserved for Williams and Wilmore.
Although the duo was initially scheduled to return in February 2025, all four astronauts will now make their journey back to Earth together on March 16.
In a press briefing, NASA’s ISS Program Manager, Dana Weigel, explained that since Crew-9 was launching with two astronauts, it was a sensible decision to accommodate Williams and Wilmore for the extended duration of their mission.
The extended stay on the ISS was a testament to their resilience and the adaptability of NASA's operations in the face of unforeseen technical challenges.
In addition, NASA's Crew-10 mission is set to launch on March 12, 2025, from the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC). The crew for this mission includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos’ Kirill Peskov. Initially, Crew-10 was scheduled to fly aboard a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, but due to construction delays, the mission will now fly aboard the veteran Endurance capsule instead.
This shift to the Endurance capsule ensures the continued operation of the ISS, as NASA’s spacecraft production delays are a common challenge within the space industry.
Although the decision to swap capsules for Crew-10 came after public comments from US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about the stranded astronauts, NASA officials maintained that the change had been in the works before the public commentary.
Steve Stitch, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager, clarified that such delays in spacecraft production are not unusual and that the decision to switch to Endurance was finalised in late January 2025.
The Crew-9 and Crew-10 missions are both part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which utilises SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. Crew-9, launched in August 2024, carried Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, with two empty seats reserved for the stranded astronauts. Crew-10, launching March 12, 2025, will replace Crew-9’s mission with a six-month stay aboard the ISS. The swap to the Endurance capsule ensures that NASA can continue to conduct important operations aboard the ISS despite manufacturing delays affecting the new Crew Dragon spacecraft.
With their return now confirmed, Williams and Wilmore will be able to conclude their extended stay on the ISS, marking a significant chapter in the Commercial Crew Program and highlighting the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the realm of space exploration.