After a nine-month ordeal in space, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally returned to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom spacecraft.
A Long-Overdue Return: Stranded NASA Astronauts Finally Come Home
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the US astronauts stranded for nine months on the International Space Station, finally made it home on Tuesday, March 18, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom spacecraft.
The Unplanned Extended Stay
Lifted off on June 5, 2024, on a mission to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Williams and Wilmore had not planned to spend more than two weeks in space. However, technical issues with the spacecraft thwarted that plan. As it approached the space station, some of Starliner‘s thrusters stopped working, forcing NASA to send the spacecraft back to Earth without crew on board.
The Wait for a Ride Home
While Williams and Wilmore‘s extended stay in space was unplanned, they had trained for potentially having to stay on the ISS for a number of months. Both astronauts have extensive experience in space expeditions, including previous stays in the ISS. However, NASA decided to send only two astronauts instead of four on the subsequent SpaceX mission, forcing Williams and Wilmore to wait in the two vacant seats until the next available ride.
A Delayed Return
After some delays, the Crew-9 mission with Hague and Gorbunov on board lifted off on September 28, 2024, bound for the ISS. However, even after Crew-9 had arrived at the space station, Williams and Wilmore still had to wait for the arrival of Crew-10, which did not happen until March 14.
A Political Controversy
The stranded astronauts’ condition became a political issue between the administrations of US presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, accused the Biden administration of abandoning the astronauts on the ISS. Shortly after being inaugurated, President Trump asked Musk to return the stranded astronauts as soon as possible.
A Successful Return
The four crew members successfully splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 pm EDT on March 18, with SpaceX recovery craft boarding Dragon Freedom and assisting the crew. The astronauts were then flown to NASA‘s Johnson Space Center in Houston to be reunited with their families. According to NASA, Williams and Wilmore traveled 195 million kilometers during their mission, spent 286 days in space, and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth.
‘We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their monthslong mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,’ said NASA acting director Janet Petro. ‘Per President Trump’s direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump administration’s challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan, to bring our crew home.
Established in 1958, NASA is a United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program.
With a workforce of over 17,000 employees, 'conducts research and exploration activities' in space and aeronautics.
The agency has achieved numerous milestones, including landing astronauts on the Moon during the Apollo missions and operating the International Space Station.
NASA's mission is to drive advancements in science, technology, and exploration, with a focus on improving life on Earth.
