NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally heading back to Earth after spending over nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to ongoing technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The pair originally launched on June 5, 2024, for what was expected to be a brief test mission of Boeing’s long-delayed spacecraft.
But what should have been a week-long stay became a nine-month ordeal, making their situation one of the most prolonged and uncertain crew delays in modern NASA history.
According to Euronews, their journey home began Tuesday morning, when they undocked from the ISS aboard a SpaceX capsule, accompanied by two other astronauts.
The capsule is targeting a splashdown off the coast of Florida by Tuesday evening (EST), weather permitting.
“We’ll miss you, but have a great journey home,” NASA astronaut Anne McClain radioed from the station as the capsule drifted away, 418 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean.
A Test Mission That Stalled Mid-Flight
Wilmore and Williams were aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, a vehicle that has faced years of delays, cost overruns, and technical setbacks.
During its June 2024 test flight to the ISS, multiple issues emerged — severe enough that NASA decided not to risk a return trip with the astronauts aboard.
Instead, Starliner was sent back to Earth empty, and the astronauts’ return was reassigned to a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. However, even that plan faced delays — most recently due to issues with the backup spacecraft.
NASA had to wait until a new crew, including NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, arrived on Sunday in another SpaceX capsule. That flight included two empty seats specifically reserved for Wilmore and Williams.
Given a deteriorating weather forecast, NASA opted to move up the return window slightly.
