NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since September 2023, will return to Earth sooner than originally planned. Due to return aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June, they will now journey back mid-March on SpaceX’s Dragon crew spacecraft.
NASA Speeds Homecoming Amid Switch of SpaceX Capsule
NASA originally scheduled for Wilmore and Williams to return in late March or April. But on February 11, the space agency revealed a change in SpaceX’s capsule assignment to enable the astronauts to return home earlier than expected. The move reduces their lengthy stay by a minimum of two weeks, after they just wrapped up eight months in space.
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In preparation for coming back, members of Crew-9 went through refresher training, rehearsing reentry operations on a computer to make their descent as smooth and safe as possible.
NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich recognized the unreliability of spaceflight when he said, “Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges.”
SpaceX Modifies Crew-9 Capsule Assignment
These changes result from delays in Boeing’s Starliner mission and extra work required for SpaceX’s new capsule. NASA decided to fly Starliner home empty because of serious technical problems and reassigned Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX.
First, Crew-9’s Dragon capsule was scheduled to transport four astronauts, but schedule changes reduced the number of crew members to just two—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—to be on board the ISS. The two seats went unused, now filled by Wilmore and Williams.
The reassignment impacted a private spacecraft flight by Axiom Space, which would have utilized the same capsule to fly a crew of astronauts representing Poland, Hungary, and India. Theirs has been moved to a different date.
NASA Retains ISS Crew Rotation Plan
NASA generally makes sure that a fresh crew arrives prior to the departing crew. Crew-10, composed of two NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut, will take over from Crew-9. After Crew-10 arrives at the ISS, Wilmore, Williams, and two other members of Crew-9 will come back to Earth.
The change in NASA’s approach comes just two weeks after the agency reported it was working quickly to return Wilmore and Williams. The move also followed a commitment by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump to speed up their return.
Extended Stay Due to Technical Challenges
Boeing’s Starliner was initially scheduled to carry Wilmore and Williams on a brief one-week flight test. But when Starliner encountered technical issues on its way to the ISS, NASA chose not to take a chance on a return trip with astronauts on board. Instead, they reassigned Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
SpaceX further delayed after they rescheduled the launch of their replacements, keeping the astronauts there even longer. The fresh capsule designated to bring them home was originally designated for a personal space mission before it was reused to facilitate their trip home.
NASA & SpaceX Prioritize Safe Return
NASA and SpaceX’s recent correction places the high priority on getting Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back safe and on schedule. With mid-March return now planned for them, the astronauts will ultimately end their lengthy mission and reconnect with their families.
