Washington, DC [US]: After being stranded in space for over nine months, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to return to Earth on Tuesday evening. The astronauts, who originally planned to stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for about a week, faced delays due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Expressions of Gratitude
❤️🚀🚀❤️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/aAkJRKsu1Q
In a video posted by Elon Musk on X, Sunita Williams assured her loved ones back home:
“We are coming back before long, so don’t make those plans without me. We’ll be back before too long.”
Butch Wilmore added:
“All of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk and obviously respect and admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them, we appreciate all what they do for us, human spaceflight for our nation, and we’re thankful for the positions they are in.”
What Happened?
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, due to helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters, Starliner returned to Earth unmanned in September, leaving the astronauts behind.
Rescue Mission and Political Involvement
Earlier this month, Donald Trump claimed to have authorized Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ return. Trump has criticized former US President Joe Biden, accusing him of “abandoning” the astronauts in space.
Return Details
Williams and Wilmore will return aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon, accompanied by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
NASA announced it will provide live coverage of the Crew-9 return starting with Dragon’s hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 17.
“NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station,” NASA stated.
NASA added that an earlier return opportunity was chosen due to favorable weather conditions forecasted for Tuesday evening, ensuring safety before less favorable conditions arise later in the week.
NASA and SpaceX will continue monitoring weather conditions and confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return.