NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams will return to Earth on Tuesday evening after spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). They were initially scheduled for a brief mission in June last year, but a propulsion malfunction in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft prevented their return.
NASA confirmed their return in a statement on Sunday evening. They will travel back aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, with splashdown expected off the Florida coast at 5:57 p.m. local time on Tuesday. NASA moved the return earlier than planned due to poor weather conditions later in the week. “The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility,” the agency stated.
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Wilmore and Williams will be joined by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who have completed their ISS missions. Hatch closure preparations will begin on Monday evening, and the return journey will be broadcast live. Their mission lasted longer than the usual six-month rotation but was shorter than NASA astronaut Frank Rubio’s 371-day stay in 2023. The world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days on the Mir space station.
Despite the unexpected extension, NASA provided them with extra supplies, including clothing and personal care items. The prolonged stay has attracted attention, with many expressing sympathy for the astronauts, who have been away from their families for almost a year. Their return marks the end of a major setback for Boeing’s Starliner program, which faces ongoing scrutiny over its reliability in future crewed missions.
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