This morning, U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams began their long-awaited return journey from the International Space Station after an extended stay of over nine months in space.
The two astronauts, aged 62 and 59 respectively, are traveling home aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, named “Freedom,” which is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of Florida around 5:57 p.m. on Tuesday, according to NASA.
Originally scheduled for just a 10-day mission last summer, Wilmore and Williams were stranded when their Boeing Starliner capsule encountered leaks and technical failures. They are now returning alongside fellow American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as part of the Crew 9 mission’s conclusion.
The two astronauts had been stuck on the International Space Station since June after their Starliner capsule experienced significant malfunctions, preventing a timely return. NASA was forced to send the spacecraft back without a crew, causing a setback in Boeing’s commercial space program, with SpaceX stepping in as the only available alternative for rescue.
Since then, the pair has been waiting for a chance to ride home on the spacecraft of Hague and Gorbunov, whose mission was delayed until after SpaceX’s Crew 10 arrived to relieve them of their duties at the ISS.
Elon Musk has stated that former President Joe Biden’s administration halted earlier plans to bring Wilmore and Williams home, alleging that political conflicts interfered with the mission’s schedule.
However, officials from the Biden administration have denied any political motivations behind the delays in returning the astronauts.
Due to the prolonged stay, Wilmore and Williams are set to spend around 285 days in space, placing them sixth on NASA’s list of longest single spaceflights, just behind Peggy Whitson, who spent 289 days in space.
The record for the longest time spent on a single mission remains with Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days in space after being stranded in 2022 due to a leak in Russia’s Soyuz capsule.
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