Two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who flew on the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed flight test in June are set to return to Earth in early April. The two astronauts were initially scheduled to return on a SpaceX Dragon but instead will board the Dragon after a SpaceX mission reaches the International Space Station next week.
According to NASA, Williams and Wilmore will depart with the Crew-9 team, paving the way for their highly anticipated homecoming. However, the exact return date is still uncertain due to the complexity of the mission schedule. The Crew-10 mission is currently set to launch on March 12, but a few days of handover activities will take place before Williams and Wilmore can join Crew-9.
NASA has not yet released an official return timeline for the Starliner astronauts, but Wilmore previously told CNN that his expected return date could be as early as March 19. The agency has assured that additional information on the return timeline will be provided in the coming days.
The Starliner’s first crewed flight test was initially intended to be a 10-day stay at the ISS, but it was cancelled due to multiple helium leaks and propulsion system issues. NASA later decided to undock the empty vehicle for an autonomous landing in September instead.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/08/when-starliner-astronauts-iss-space-station/81912083007