NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are on track to return home after a nine-month stay on the International Space Station. The pair boarded a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule earlier today, marking the end of their extended mission.
The initial plan had been for the duo to spend only a few weeks at the space station, but problems with a Boeing spacecraft led to a prolonged stay. Despite the challenges, both astronauts have expressed positive sentiments about their experience.
“It’s work. It’s fun. It’s been trying at times, no doubt,” said Mr. Wilmore in an interview. However, when asked if they felt “stranded” or “abandoned,” he clarified that such labels were inaccurate.
The Crew-9 mission, which involves the return of Williams and Wilmore, is scheduled to splash down off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Tuesday evening. The astronauts will be recovered by NASA crews and flown to Houston for further processing.
A total of four astronauts are part of this mission, including Nick Hague as commander and Aleksandr Gorbunov as pilot.
Williams and Wilmore have a combined 50 years of experience as astronauts and have previously spent time on the space station, with the latter’s last trip being over a decade ago. This latest return will mark Williams’ total of 608 days in space, making her the second-most experienced American astronaut.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/17/science/nasa-astronauts-return-spacex