Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore Finally Returning to Earth After 9-Month Space Stay

NASA Confirms Landing Date After Unexpected Delays

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who were originally scheduled for a 10-day mission, have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months due to technical issues with their spacecraft. After months of uncertainty, NASA has now confirmed their return date—March 16, 2025.

The two astronauts were launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, as part of a test mission. However, due to successive technical failures, their return was repeatedly delayed. While the Starliner capsule was sent back to Earth without a crew in September 2024, Williams and Wilmore remained on the ISS awaiting a safe return plan.

Now, NASA has decided to bring them back aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as part of the Crew-9 mission.

What Went Wrong? The Starliner’s Unexpected Failures

The Starliner mission was designed as a test flight for Boeing’s spacecraft, which aimed to offer NASA an alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. However, the mission faced multiple issues, including:

• Thruster failures that raised concerns about Starliner’s ability to return safely.
• Helium leaks detected in the spacecraft’s propulsion system.
• Software glitches that complicated operations.

With these challenges, NASA decided that keeping Williams and Wilmore on the ISS was safer than attempting a return with a faulty spacecraft.

SpaceX Steps In: The Crew Dragon Rescue Plan

As Boeing struggled to resolve the Starliner issues, NASA turned to SpaceX, the agency’s primary commercial partner for crewed spaceflights. The plan was to launch a relief crew aboard the Crew-9 mission and bring back Williams and Wilmore on the same SpaceX Dragon capsule.

Here’s how the mission will unfold:

• Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague (NASA) and Aleksandr Gorbunov (Roscosmos) arrived at the ISS last year with two empty seats reserved for Williams and Wilmore.
• Crew-10 is set to launch on March 12, 2025, carrying four new astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance capsule to replace Crew-9.
• Once Crew-10 reaches the ISS, Crew-9 (including Williams and Wilmore) will return to Earth on March 16 aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

This strategic shift ensures a safe return while maintaining a full operational crew on the ISS.

Public Attention: Trump & Musk React to the Space Delay

The extended delay in returning the astronauts sparked significant public interest, with former U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commenting on the situation. While their remarks brought further attention to NASA’s handling of the mission, agency officials clarified that plans for Williams and Wilmore’s return had been in motion long before these public statements.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stitch emphasized that delays in spacecraft development are not uncommon, and safety remains the top priority. The decision to swap Crew-10’s spacecraft with the veteran Endurance Dragon instead of a newly built capsule was made to ensure reliability and avoid further setbacks.

What’s Next for Boeing’s Starliner?

While SpaceX has once again proven itself as NASA’s go-to commercial partner, Boeing’s Starliner program now faces major scrutiny. The company is working to resolve its technical issues, but the failures of this mission could delay its certification for regular ISS crewed missions.

Despite the setbacks, NASA still aims to have two independent crew transport options—SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner—to maintain flexibility in space operations. Boeing has promised a fix and a relaunch attempt later in 2025, but confidence in the Starliner remains low.

Williams & Wilmore’s Long-Awaited Return

After spending over nine months in space, Williams and Wilmore are finally preparing for their return. The upcoming March 16 landing marks the end of a mission that was supposed to last only 10 days but turned into an unprecedented test of patience and endurance.

As they re-enter Earth’s atmosphere aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the world will be watching to see how NASA handles future commercial space partnerships—and whether Boeing can recover from this high-profile setback.