Overview

• 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.