NASA announced on Wednesday that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return to Earth has been postponed until at least late March 2025.
Williams and Wilmore will return alongside astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who are part of the Crew-10 mission. This mission, originally scheduled for February, is now expected to launch in late March 2025. NASA attributed the delay to the time needed to complete preparations for a new Dragon spacecraft.
“The handover period allows Crew-9 to pass on lessons to the newly arrived Crew-10 and ensures a smoother transition for ongoing scientific research and station maintenance,” NASA explained in a statement released Tuesday. However, the agency did not specify a return date for the astronauts.
Williams and Wilmore traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) in June for what was originally planned as an eight-day mission. However, their stay turned into a prolonged one after their Boeing Starliner capsule was deemed unsafe for return due to thruster malfunctions and helium leaks.
The astronauts remain safe aboard the ISS, which serves as a ‘home in space’ for scientists conducting research missions. The station is consistently resupplied and remains well-stocked.
Along with the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour (Crew-8), several other spacecraft are docked at the ISS, including the Northrop Grumman resupply ship, Soyuz MS-25, Soyuz MS-26, and Progress 88 and 89 resupply vehicles.
Williams and Wilmore are not alone aboard the station. They are joined by Commander Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin.
Crew capsules on the ISS can function as ‘lifeboats’ during emergencies, allowing astronauts to evacuate if safety is compromised. The Boeing Starliner, despite its thruster and gas leak issues, initially served as a lifeboat for Williams and Wilmore before the technical problems rendered it unfit for use.
