SpaceX Launch Paves Way for NASA Astronauts’ Return After Extended ISS Mission

NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams, initially set for a short ISS stay, prepare to return home after 9.5 months in space due to operational adjustments.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived on the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024, are set to return to Earth after a 9.5-month mission.
Their extended stay resulted from technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which led NASA to send the capsule back to Earth without crew and reassign the astronauts to a SpaceX return mission.
The SpaceX Crew-10 mission, launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, will replace the current ISS crew, including Wilmore and Williams, with a new team of four astronauts from NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos.
NASA officials emphasized that the decision to keep Wilmore and Williams on the ISS was operationally driven, countering claims of abandonment or political influence in their mission extension.
The Crew-10 mission continues SpaceX's role as a key partner in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, while Boeing works toward certifying Starliner for future crewed missions.