NASA’s Starliner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally returning to Earth after an unplanned nine-month visit. The crew was originally meant to stay on board the International Space Station (ISS) for just a week, but five of their thrusters failed en route, forcing them to extend their stay.
The astronauts will ride to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, a partnership that has brought them home a couple of weeks early. NASA had previously planned to retrieve Williams and Wilmore in September via a crewed mission, but that launch faced technical issues and was delayed until April.
Coverage of the return begins Monday night at 10:45PM ET, with streams available on NASA’s website and via the NASA+ app. The stream will focus on the hatch closing and undocking procedure before going dark until 4:45PM ET on Tuesday. A live press conference is set for 7:30PM ET to mark their safe arrival at Earth.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/science/space/you-can-watch-the-starliner-astronauts-return-to-earth-after-an-unplanned-nine-month-visit-185308418.html