NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched on a short mission to the International Space Station last year but were stuck in space for nine months, are finally returning to Earth. Their return comes after they spent nearly a year aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The crew’s homecoming is expected to take place on March 16, when their replacement, Crew-10 commander Anne McClain, and her team arrive at the space station. McClain and her crew will then undock from the ISS and bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth.
“We’re looking forward to bringing these astronauts home in the coming weeks,” McClain said during a recent media briefing. “They’ve been conducting science, maintenance, and keeping the station running, and we’re ready to high-five them.”
The return of Wilmore and Williams marks the end of their historic nine-month mission, which saw them complete numerous scientific experiments, perform spacewalks, and conduct maintenance tasks on the space station.
“It takes a full crew to continuously crew the space station, both for science and for maintenance,” McClain said. “We’re ready to take over and keep the station running.”
The transition from Expedition 72 to Expedition 73 began earlier this week, when Williams passed the key to the space station to cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. The title of commander will now pass to Onishi, who will take on the role during his six-month stint on the orbital lab.
Wilmore and Williams’ prolonged stay in space was due to a series of delays and technical issues that affected their original mission schedule. However, despite the challenges, they remained optimistic and continued to conduct valuable research and contribute to the scientific community.
Their return is expected to be welcomed by scientists and astronomers around the world, who will eagerly study the data collected during their time in space.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/stranded-starliner-astronauts-on-iss-get-landing-date-at-last