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NASA Astronauts Set to Return After 9-Month ISS Stay Due to Starliner Issues

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will splash down off Florida on March 18 aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule after extended delays caused by Boeing Starliner malfunctions.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024.
Image
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Barry Wilmore, and Donald Pettit unbox Thanksgiving meals, from the International Space Station (ISS), in this screen grab taken from a handout video, released on November 26, 2024.
Elon Musk shares video of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore thanking him and Trump (REUTERS, NASA)

Overview

  • NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, originally on an eight-day mission, have spent over nine months aboard the ISS due to technical failures with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
  • The Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, leading NASA to return the spacecraft uncrewed in September 2024 for safety reasons.
  • SpaceX's Crew-10 mission successfully docked at the ISS on March 16, 2025, enabling Wilmore and Williams to return to Earth alongside two other astronauts.
  • The astronauts will board a SpaceX Dragon capsule and are scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast on March 18, following a handover period with the incoming ISS crew.
  • The extended stay allowed Wilmore and Williams to contribute to ISS operations, including research, maintenance, and testing of Starliner systems, while awaiting a safe return option.