NASA Announces Return of Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore After 9-Month Space Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed on Sunday that two U.S. astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stuck aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, will finally return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, evening (GMT).

The duo, along with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, will be transported home aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that arrived at the ISS early Sunday. Wilmore and Williams had been expected to return much sooner, but delays caused by propulsion issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which they were testing on its maiden crewed flight, meant they could not return as planned. The spacecraft was deemed unfit to bring them back to Earth. NASA also announced that it will provide live coverage of the return, beginning with the Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday, March 17 (around 8:30 am on March 18 in India).

NASA's statement revealed that their return has been moved up to approximately 5:57 pm local time in Florida on Tuesday (3:27 am IST on March 19). Initially, their return had been scheduled for Wednesday at the earliest. NASA explained that the earlier return allowed the astronauts time to complete their duties on the space station while also providing flexibility in case of less favorable weather conditions later in the week.

“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” NASA said in the statement.

While their extended stay aboard the ISS was far longer than the typical six-month rotation, it falls short of the U.S. space record of 371 days set by astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023, and the world record of 437 days held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station. The delay has brought considerable attention to their mission, with concerns about the astronauts' well-being and their extended time away from their families.

Due to the unforeseen length of their stay, both Wilmore and Williams were forced to receive additional supplies, including clothing and personal care items, as they had not packed enough for such an extended mission.