NASA’s Stuck Astronauts Finally on Their Way Back to Earth After 9 Months in Space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA’s two stuck astronauts are finally heading back to Earth with SpaceX to conclude a long and eventful mission that began with a troubled Boeing test flight over nine months ago.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station, where they have been living since last spring, as they departed aboard a SpaceX capsule with two other astronauts. The capsule undocked in the early hours and is set to splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.

The original plan was for Wilmore and Williams to return just a week after launching on Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule on June 5. However, numerous issues arose during their journey to the space station, leading to their return being delayed until February after being transferred to SpaceX. Further delays occurred due to capsule issues with SpaceX.

Their relief crew’s arrival on Sunday meant that Wilmore and Williams could finally depart. NASA decided to release them ahead of schedule due to uncertain weather forecasts later in the week. They were bid farewell by NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived in their own SpaceX capsule last fall with two empty seats reserved for the Starliner astronauts.

“We’ll miss you, but have a great journey home,” NASA’s Anne McClain called out from the space station as the capsule pulled away 260 miles above the Pacific.

The challenges faced by Wilmore and Williams garnered worldwide attention, highlighting the phrase “stuck at work” in a whole new light. Despite other astronauts having longer spaceflights in the past, none have experienced as much uncertainty or seen their mission extended to such an extent.

During their time on the space station, Wilmore and Williams transitioned from guests to full-fledged crew members, conducting experiments, performing equipment repairs, and even going on spacewalks together. Williams set a new record with 62 hours spent on nine spacewalks, marking the most time a female astronaut has spent spacewalking over her career.

Both astronauts had previous experience living on the orbiting lab and were well-versed in station operations before their journey. Williams took over as the station’s commander three months into their stay and held the position until earlier this month.

In late January, their mission took an unexpected turn when President Donald Trump requested SpaceX founder Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ return. Due to the replacement crew’s new SpaceX capsule not being ready, a used capsule was substituted to accelerate the process by a few weeks.

NASA enlisted SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts to and from the space station after the shuttle program concluded, ensuring two U.S. companies could compete for crew transportation until the station is decommissioned in 2030. The plan is to replace the station with privately operated facilities, allowing NASA to focus on missions to the moon and Mars.

Both Wilmore and Williams, retired Navy captains, expressed their willingness to spend more time in space, likening the extended deployment to their military service. However, they acknowledged the challenges it posed for their families.

Wilmore, 62, missed most of his younger daughter’s senior year of high school, while his older daughter is in college. Williams, 59, had to rely on internet calls from space to communicate with her mother. Their much-anticipated reunion with loved ones will have to wait until they are off the SpaceX recovery ship and flown to Houston.