NASA’s Astronauts, Stranded for 9 Months, Are Finally Headed Home to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA’s two astronauts who experienced delays are now on their way back to Earth with SpaceX, concluding a dramatic mission that began with a troubled Boeing test flight over nine months ago.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said goodbye to the International Space Station, where they had been living since last spring, as they departed aboard a SpaceX capsule along with two other astronauts. The capsule undocked during the early hours and is set for a splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, depending on weather conditions.

The astronauts initially anticipated a brief stay of just a week after launching on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule on June 5. However, numerous issues arose during their journey to the space station, prompting NASA to send the Starliner back without crew and transfer the test pilots to a SpaceX flight, which delayed their return until February. Additional delays were caused by issues with the SpaceX capsule.

The arrival of their relief crew on Sunday finally allowed Wilmore and Williams to leave. Given the uncertain weather forecast later this week, NASA decided to let them depart a bit early. They completed their handoff with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who had arrived in their own SpaceX capsule last fall, leaving two empty seats for the Starliner crew.

“We’ll miss you, but have a wonderful journey home,” called out NASA’s Anne McClain from the space station as the capsule distanced itself, traveling 260 miles above the Pacific.

Their experience attracted global attention, giving a new context to the phrase “stuck at work.” While other astronauts have completed longer missions, none faced such unpredictability or experienced an extension of their stay like Wilmore and Williams.

Wilmore and Williams quickly shifted from being guests to bona fide station crew, conducting experiments, repairing equipment, and even performing spacewalks together. Williams set a record for the most time spent on spacewalks by a female astronaut, totaling 62 hours across nine missions.

Both astronauts had prior experience aboard the station and refreshed their training before their launch. Williams took on the role of station commander three months into their mission and remained in that capacity until earlier this month.

The mission took an unexpected turn in late January when President Donald Trump requested SpaceX founder Elon Musk to expedite the astronauts’ return. Since the new SpaceX capsule meant for the replacement crew wasn’t ready, SpaceX used a previously flown capsule, allowing for an earlier return by several weeks.

NASA contracted SpaceX and Boeing after the shuttle program concluded, aiming to have two competing American companies provide transportation for astronauts to and from the space station until it is decommissioned in 2030 and guided back to a fiery reentry. By that time, the station will have been operational for over thirty years, with plans to replace it with privately operated stations, enabling NASA to concentrate on missions to the Moon and Mars.

Both Wilmore and Williams, retired Navy captains, expressed that they didn’t mind the extended time in space, finding it reminiscent of their military experiences. However, they recognized the challenge it posed for their families.

Wilmore, aged 62, missed a large part of his younger daughter’s senior high school year, while his older daughter is currently in college. Williams, aged 59, had to rely on internet video calls from space to connect with her mother. They will finally reunite with their families after being off the SpaceX recovery ship and flown to Houston.