NASA Astronauts Adjust to Extended ISS Mission After Starliner Returns Empty

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will remain aboard the ISS until February 2025 after NASA deems Starliner unfit for their return trip.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams express no regrets over the extended mission, embracing their new role as full-time ISS crew members.
The Starliner spacecraft, which launched on June 5, returned to Earth without its crew on September 7 due to unresolved technical issues.
NASA decided against using Starliner for the astronauts' return after detecting multiple helium leaks and thruster malfunctions.
Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, which will arrive at the ISS later this month.
The astronauts' extended stay will total 262 days, significantly longer than their originally planned one-week mission.