Washington, D.C.: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for eight months, are scheduled to return to Earth on March 19.
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2023 as part of Boeing’s Starliner Crew-9 mission. However, due to technical issues with the spacecraft, only two astronauts—Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov—were able to return, while Williams and Wilmore remained at the station.
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Following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, NASA was instructed to prioritize their return. In response, SpaceX has been tasked with facilitating their journey back to Earth. The astronauts will depart the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Endurance capsule on March 12.
NASA had initially planned the Crew-10 mission for late March or early April, intending to send four astronauts to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket. As part of this operation, the Dragon Endeavour capsule will be used to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth.
Originally scheduled for March 25, the return mission has been advanced to March 12. Upon the arrival of the Crew-10 team at the ISS, Williams and Wilmore will be relieved of their duties and begin their journey back. NASA has confirmed that the astronauts are expected to land safely on Earth by March 19.